


Regardless of warnings the future doesn’t scare me at all (Nothing’s like before)

by ArchWriter



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Canon Compliant, Character Study, Developing Friendships, Disney Movies, Disney References, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Sleeping World Theory, Slow Build, Sora and Vanitas try to be friends, Temporary Amnesia, Temporary Character Death, They really try, as the story goes along, they mostly succeed, video game references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2019-11-03 19:52:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 103,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17884124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchWriter/pseuds/ArchWriter
Summary: After being revived from the Reaper’s Game, Sora finds himself in a foreign world without his memories.Despite being banished to the darkness once more, Vanitas finds himself in foreign world without any orders or sense of purpose.And when the amnesiac and psychopath meet? Yeah, it’s pretty much a Disaster Waiting To Happen™.However, along the wayward adventures of finding the way back home, from Traverse Town to the Land of Departure, the two of them realize how much in common they have, and how they want things to be better.~Canon-compliant, set after KH3.





	1. Prologue: The Way Back Home (The World Ends With You)

**Author's Note:**

> What is up you guys? After getting out of my major writer’s block for the past year, I’ve finally motivated myself to start writing again, and it’s for my fave fandom! Yay! Ever since I've finished up on KH3, I couldn't help but be excited to write something for the fandom again - it's been a while after all.
> 
> I did plan for this fic to be quite long - I've actually written the skeleton for the story and a lot of content I'm trying to piece together properly. The characters don't all appear in the prologue - in fact - it might take a while for their respective scenes to come out. But the tags exist for a reason, so you'll see the beloved cast in all their written glory as the story goes along.
> 
> Anyways, read my end notes and talk to me – there’s so much to discuss!
> 
> Without further ado, here's the prologue. Enjoy!

 

_“A scattered dream that’s like a far-off memory_

_A far-off memory that’s like a scattered dream_

_I wanna line the pieces up_

_Yours and mine”_

Checking that everything he needed was packed, Riku zipped his bag closed. He wasn’t used to packing for a journey – between being consumed by the darkness, working for Ansem, and running missions with the King, Riku never really had much to worry about provisions over the years. This time though, he’s planned to go alone to travel the worlds. It wasn’t like what he did in the sleeping worlds; this time he would travel across the actual waking worlds, without company, and only the aid of himself to rely on.

Riku could still remember that sunset afternoon even now: Kairi and Sora's silhouettes a high contrast against all the bright things on the island. It had been a few weeks since they last saw Sora when he set out to save Kairi's heart again, and seeing the two together in their own little private bubble, finally back with them, none of them could ever really do anything.

Then the sun had finally set, and Kairi was the only one left, the boy who saved her yet again slipping from her grasp.

It's been a month since then.

Riku set his mouth in a straight line; he would do something about this. The King wouldn't approve of him going off on his own, but this was something he needed to do. Sora needed him, he knew, and another part of him also told him that he needed Sora just as much.

He didn't dwell on that feeling too much.

“Riku.”

The silver-haired teen turned around to the sound of his name being called. The source of the voice was leaning against the door frame of his childhood home, arms crossed and his face an intense expression. There was a time such an expression would lead to a direct confrontation between the two of them, but these days, it was directed at him more out of genuine concern rather than conflict.

“Roxas.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” the boy addressed pushed himself away from the door and strode to him, stopping a few feet away. “That’s quite the pack you’re taking with you.”

“You know where I’m going.”

“I don’t. I don’t know where the hell you’re going. But I do know what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Riku avoided looking at Roxas. “I’m going to bring Sora back.”

Roxas gave him a flat look. “That’s well and all, but what makes you think you can?”

Riku bristled but didn’t snap at the snide question. “I don’t _think_ I can. I _will_. And I’m going to do it. I don't need your side comments on my choices.”

“You don’t know that. And it is exactly this kind of recklessness that I’m calling bullshit on. You're putting yourself in danger for Sora. For all we know, he could’ve just vanished and died somewhere,” Roxas rebutted, his voice calm and unbothered by what he said.

“ _How could you even say that?!_ ” Riku hissed at him. Roxas remained unfazed. "What? Don’t you care what happens to Sora? After all he did for you? Are you here to stop me?" Roxas just raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him, his eyes giving a heavily judgmental look.

“Riku.”

Riku turned to look at the second voice, only to face another blonde, a girl in a white dress, her blue eyes shining in the afternoon light slanting through the windows of the room. Even after being offered a change of clothes for a new chance at this life, she chose to wear her original white dress most of the time. She looked beautiful, Riku thought absently, the same way that Xion was eye-catching, and how Roxas, despite his physical similarity with Ventus, exuded more an air of power and authority.

The three of them drew everyone's subtle attention when they were in a room, whether anybody noticed or not.

Riku acknowledged her.

“Naminé.”

“It’s not that me and Roxas are against this, or think Sora is far from being saved. On the contrary, the two of us want Sora back safe and sound just as much as you do. I may be Kairi’s Nobody, but you can’t deny the part I played in Sora’s journey,” Naminé looked at Roxas, before looking back at Riku, “Roxas too, maybe even more so than anybody else realizes. Sora...he is the very reason we were all able to come back. There is nothing we want more than to see him safely back here.

“But Riku, we also wish for you to be safe.”

“Naminé,” Riku knelt down on one knee before the blonde girl, taking one of her hands and tipping his face to look up at her, “I’ll be fine. Besides, saving Sora’s kind of basically my job.” He threw her a small teasing smile, to which Naminé responded with a light laugh.

“I don’t doubt your fighting abilities,” Roxas ventured, his gaze unwavering in Riku’s direction, “but I doubt things would be easy.”

RIku sighed. “It never is.”

“Naminé and I, as well as Xion and Ventus, can still feel the echoes of Sora’s heart. Connected as we are to Sora, we can't tell much about the condition of his heart. It's faint, we can tell he’s alive, but he’s... also not. It’s a strange limbo he’s in, something I’m quite familiar with.” Roxas turned away from Riku and looked into the afternoon sky. The skies were starting to get orange – it would be sundown in an hour or two.

“The place that Sora’s in... may not be a world any of us can reach. At least, not right now.”

“But he’ll be fine,” Naminé pulled at Riku’s hand, motioning for him to stand up again. “Sora will find his way back to our side of the worlds. He’ll win. And when he does, you just have to find him where he turns up.”

“Right,” Riku nodded.

“When do you plan to leave?” Roxas asked.

“As soon as possible,” Riku replied, “tonight maybe, after dinner.”

“Have you told the King?” Naminé asked.

“I think he already knows, even without you telling him,” Roxas replied instead, “Mickey's been your closest friend other than Sora and Kairi, and he's not dumb. I bet he's expecting this from you. It’s always been that way anyway. Where Kairi goes, Sora follows. And where Sora goes, Riku follows. I think it wouldn’t take much for his Majesty to come to that conclusion.”

“You make it sound as if I’m predictable and heavily dependent on Sora on where to go,” Riku said drily.

“Not quite,” Roxas rolled his eyes, “it’s just the general role you play. Then again, none of us are one to talk, since everyone ends up following Sora one way or another.”

“Talk to Aqua before you leave,” Naminé told Riku. “As a fellow Master, she mentioned earlier that she’s thinking to teach you how to use a Keyblade Glider to travel worlds. Ventus is teaching Roxas, though I don’t know how that would go, since Roxas uses two Keyblades.”

“That isn’t for Riku to worry about. But Naminé’s right; go see Aqua before you decide to split. The Corridors aren’t safe for any of us to use now. Might as well say something to Mickey then,” Roxas advised.

“Right," Riku nodded. Roxas joined him and Naminé by the room's center, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. She tossed him a bright smile, before he let his hand fall back to his side and address Riku again.

"See you at dinner then."

Riku smiled. Roxas didn't wear his heart on his sleeve like Sora did, but Riku's learning that Roxas cares just for every one of his friends just as much. It only bolsters his resolve in his search for Sora.

"Yeah. See you later."

~

_“Neku! Shiki!"_

_"Oh, hey Sora!"_

_"What...what the heck was that frog thing?”_

_“It’s called a Noise.”_

_“A Noise?”_

_“Yep.”_

_“What...where did they come from?”_

_“Beats me. All I know is, we need to beat a bunch of ‘em to clear the Game.”_

_“The Game?”_

_“The Reaper’s Game, silly! We have a long week ahead of us.”_

_“A week? Wait, what's going on?”_

_“Yep. It’s how long the Reaper’s Game goes.”_

_“I don’t understand. Where are we? And was that magic I just used? I don’t...how? I can’t even summon my Keyblade...”_

_“...Huh. Would you consider that ‘Keyblade’ of yours to be your most treasured possession on your person?”_

_“I guess? Yeah.”_

_“Then you don’t have it anymore. That’s your entry fee to play the Reaper’s Game, you see. You have to give up your most treasured possession. By doing so, the dead can gain a chance to contest for the prize of the game: which is to be brought back to life.”_

_“Back to life? Wait a minute, does this mean...?”_

_“Well, yeah. You wouldn’t be here in the Underground if you weren’t dead. See those numbers on your hand? That’s your timer to complete playing the Reaper’s Game.” Shiki tugged on Sora's arm. "C'mon, we could even go and find Beat and Rhyme and the others so we can help you clear the Game!"_

_"Where...where are we?"_

_Shiki smiled. Neku chuckled quietly to himself._

_"Welcome to Shibuya, Sora!"_

~

_Sora turned to look at Joshua standing before him. Neku, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme stood beside him, all in defensive poses for whatever last gimmick there was._

_"Relax," Joshua chuckled, "this is truly the end for Sora’s test. He's beaten the game, fair and square. I made sure none of the Reapers or black coats could interfere."_

_A round of relieved sighs followed, and Sora couldn't help but join them. It was kind of hilarious, how he's gotten used to expecting something bad to happen when he lets his guard down._

_"Well, I think the fact that Sora's heart managed to bring you all here back to the Underground was surprise enough," Joshua comments drily, "no need to pile more. This world, Sora, for all its intents and purposes, has existed to play a specific role for those deserving - and that is the power to give them a second chance at life. Well, I'm sure Neku has regaled you with tales about Underground Shibuya - he did stay here for 3 weeks."_

_"No thanks to you, asshole," Neku replied._

_"And you've completed the game in one week! Congratulations!" Joshua laughed cheekily. Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme broke out in a little cheer, while Neku flashed a proud smile at Sora. It warmed his heart, how these people - his friends - had, without hesitation, helped him in their own ways to clear Shibuya._

_He was without a Keyblade and given a power he barely knew how to wield, but thanks to everyone's help, he managed to make it to the end._

_A second chance at life, huh?_

_"Hey, Joshua," Sora began, "you're this world's leader right? The Composer?"_

_"If you're asking if I'm the one who hold's this world's Authority, then yes, that would be correct," Joshua answered._

_"Is there any way for me to get my Keyblade back? Can you do something about that?" Sora asked._

_Joshua put a hand to his chin. "Your Keyblade huh? I don't know; one of the prerequisites to play the Reaper's Game was to give up your most precious possession. It's a high-stakes game that offers a miraculous reward: it's only reasonable a heavy toll to play it be put in place."_

_"So I...can't call my Keyblade anymore?"_

_"This World's Rules infringes upon the Laws of Life and Death, and by extension, Destiny and Fate itself. It's a universal law that covers all the worlds, not just Shibuya, so I'm afraid that even if you do exit this world, you won't be able to use it. Even the gods can’t change those kinds of rules arbitrarily," Joshua frowned._

_Sora's face fell. That would mean that even if he did manage a second chance at life, he wouldn't be a Keyblade wielder anymore. He'd be back to being a normal boy on the islands, never leaving the confines of his homeworld._

_He'd just be plain, ordinary Sora, who lived in Destiny Islands, who wielded a wooden sword, who no longer held the power to help, defend, and protect his friends._

_"Sora, I'm sorry," Joshua said. Sora lifted his head to look at him, and noticed how everyone looked so worried for him. Did he really look that upset?_

_"No, it's okay!" Sora waved his hands in front of him, going for a reassuring smile, "it's already such a huge thing to be getting a second chance at life! I never thought... I never thought I could have something as awesome as that...to meet everyone again..."_

_"But you wish you still had your Keyblade," Neku said, "you wanted to keep the power to fight for your friends."_

_"...I do," Sora answered honestly._

_Neku turned towards Joshua. "Isn't there a way to nullify his price?"_

_"That would mean either Sora has to play another Reaper's Game, or choose another price to pay with."_

_"Like Neku did," Shiki commented._

_"That was only possible because I had a hand in it, and some of the Reapers weren't exactly fair or impartial," Joshua replied._

_"Sora can't play another Reaper's Game," Neku said, "much as I enjoy his company, he can’t stay here. We were all sent to Traverse Town when Shibuya was destroyed, and now we’re back, and it’s all thanks to the Keyblade wielders. Things are starting to happen again, and since they are, then Sora needs to be back out there," Neku justified._

_“They’ve always been happening, Neku. Shibuya is but one of the many worlds out there who function outside the logical confines of space and flow of time,” Joshua replied, “but more so lately with the so called Master and his apprentice moving things along as they please.”_

_“Master?” Sora asked, confused, “Apprentice? Who are you talking about? We defeated Xehanort.”_

_“Xehanort was just part of the greater picture, a mere instrument to get the gears turning,” Joshua explained, “being the Authority of such a peculiar world as Shibuya, I met him once when he sought me out – the first black coat, who called himself the Master of Masters.”_

_“The Master of Masters?” Sora asked. “Who is he, and what does he want?”_

_“I don’t know,” Joshua replied, “but he’s set upon a chain of events involving his Apprentice and five students that has spanned for centuries, as old as the first Keyblade War.”_

_“I don’t understand...” Sora mumbled._

_“Neither do we,” Neku grumbled, “how the hell do you know so much, Joshua? What aren’t you telling us?”_

_Joshua shrugged. “Quite a lot, but I don’t mean to hide things. It’s just better if you didn’t know so much. Well, other than Sora, that is. I feel it’s relevant for you to know, hence why I’m telling all this to you now._

_“Sora,” Joshua began, his form shimmering and slowly glowing gold, “I can try to give you back your Keyblade, if you truly desire it. Someone has already invested in paying the price for such an act, though I can’t tell you who. But I must eject you from this world immediately, lest the world’s counterforce snatch it away again. The law of equivalent exchange, unfortunately, must be enforced. To lose is to find, and to find is to lose. You will regain your Keyblade, but you will inevitable lose something just as precious. Do you accept?”_

_“I do.” Sora replied, without hesitation._

_“Then heed my words Sora: beware of the man who calls himself the Apprentice. His name is Luxu, and you should take care not to trust him. Nor should you trust any of those who call themselves the Foretellers. Their goals are unclear, and if what the previous players that have been here have said are true, then that means the game they play is not one you should wager yourself carelessly. Well, there is one Foreteller you could trust. Maybe. You could blame her for what I'm going to do; she was the one who paid this price, and she only said she wanted to help you.”_

_“Help me? Joshua, what are you talking about? I don't understand anything, why do you know so much?” Sora asked. Joshua winked, and drew a gun. He pointed the barrel towards him – aiming for Sora’s head. Before Sora could ask again, Joshua flashed him a crooked smile. He could feel Neku take one of his hands and whisper quietly in his ear “Let’s meet again sometime, Sora.”_

_“Goodbye Sora. Let the wind carry you far, far away, like a Dandelion,” and with one last click, Joshua pulled the trigger._

_“May your heart be your guiding key.”_

~

Darkness.

Pain.

Loneliness.

They were all familiar feelings – states – to which he inevitably returned to, time and time again. He was an incomplete concept – a failed creation – he was not destined to live a long life. He knew this right from the start, which gave him all the more reason to fight as hard as he did just to continue existing.

He failed of course.

“Hello?”

A spot of light swam into vision, its small flickering glow sifting through the darkness like a dandelion lost in the wind.

“Is there anybody there?”

_Who are you?_

“Oh! So there is someone. Hello. Who are you?”

_I asked you first. Who are you?_

“...I don’t remember my name anymore. Or perhaps, I refuse to remember. It’s been so long, since I’ve tried to remember anything.”

_What are you doing here?_

“I don’t know myself. I remember sleeping, so I think this must be a dream.”

_What are you doing in my dream then?_

“Who’s to say it isn’t _you_ in _my_ dream?”

_Does it matter?_

“I think it’s supposed to. What are you doing here, in all this darkness? We can’t be in such a place.”

_I am darkness. It’s a part of me. Therefore, I am also a part of it. And you're here too, so you're not exactly one to talk._

“Do you truly believe that? That you are truly only darkness?”

_What I believe doesn’t matter. I’m only stating facts._

“You are wrong – you are not as dark as you believe yourself to be.”

_Oh? And why such a claim?_

“I would not have found you in this darkness, if you did not carry a little light of your own.”

_...But that’s impossible._

“And yet I found you, like a faint distant beacon in the endless night. You should wake up soon, return with that light of yours to the realm of the waking.”

_I can’t._

“Of course you can.”

_I won’t. Hurts._

“I’ll help you. I’ll be cheering you on. So please, here, take this light I have, and make yourself whole. It’s the least I could do for you. For both of you.”

_Really?_

“Really. Go on. Set yourself free upon the world. Be yourself. Let the wind carry you far, far away...like dandelions.”

A rush of warm feeling and light enveloped him, and the feeling of a cool breeze caressed him, lifting him, carrying him, taking him somewhere lighter, brighter...

_Wait! Both of us? What do you mean? Who are you? What do you want from me?_

“My name is – ”

_– ?_

“And yours?”

_...Vanitas._

“Well then Vanitas: may your heart be your guiding key.”

~

_Sora opened his eyes._

~

Vanitas opened his eyes.

~

And then there was light.


	2. Chapter 1 - What's left of me (What's left of me now)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora meets old and new faces - he just doesn't remember them quite well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back with an update! I suppose I never got to say earlier how often I will be updating. Haha. Anyways, since work is taking up most of my time, I have a limited amount of time to write lengthy chapters, and I suspect this first chapter will be my longest.
> 
> It's actually so long, that I had to cut it off into two parts, the second part acting as an interlude, which I will upload later in the week since I'm still editing it.
> 
> Anyways, I'll probably be able to update this fic at least twice a month, since I need time to write, edit, and make sense of everything I write. Anyways, hope you guys like this - I definitely had fun writing this.
> 
> Notes at the end for more insight, so without further ado, here's the first chapter!
> 
> UPDATE: Uploaded art for the chapter, providing visuals for Sora and Vanitas' costumes, drawn personally by me. Enjoy!

White.

Blue.

White and gold buildings cascaded down countless mountains as far as the eyes can see, each mountain suspended and afloat a wide expanse of calm sea.

Different colourful flags hung from numerous walls and lamp posts flapped in the wind, the impeccably pristine looking buildings tossed into animation by many various forms of windmills and wind turbines turning lazily in the gentle wind. Cobblestone streets paved the ground, colourful and intricate, forming pictures and insignias, while verdant, green plants tastefully accentuated the cityscape.

Numerous cable cars went up and down the criss-crossing lines along the cityscape, their slow pace complimentary to the gondolas gliding smoothly across the waters, barely making a ripple or wave in the mirror like body of water. The gentle blow of the wind set the large windmills atop each mountain spinning, their soft turning sounds from the mechanical giants echoing an almost hypnotic cadence upon the beautiful and picturesque world.

That was how Sora found himself, standing in place from a high vantage point – some sort of open space with a fountain in the middle – staring all around him, marvelling at the beauty of the place he was in. He felt like he was in a dream – such a pristine place like this simply didn’t exist in reality.

He turned around to look all around him, but other than the calm peace of the place, there were no other sounds to be heard.

It was desolate and empty, and with how the mountain towns seemed to go on over the horizon, the world only seemed bigger. Sora looked to his side to call to his companions, he’s sure that –

Sora stopped. Companions? Did he have those? Did he come to this world with other people?

 _It feels like I shouldn’t be alone,_ Sora’s thoughts raced in his head, _I_ know _I’m not alone in this, not usually, but why..._

_Why can’t I remember anything than my name?_

Sora held his hands in front of him, palm facing forward. In a flash of light, a peculiar-looking weapon materialized in front of him, his fingers instinctively going around the hilt.

“Keyblade,” Sora said out loud.

 _My name and this Keyblade_ , Sora mused.

“There’s something going on with this place,” Sora said aloud to himself, “I guess I should move, staying still isn’t going to do anything for me.”

Picking one of the alleyways opening up from the square, Sora dismissed his Keyblade and resolved to look for the people of this world.

~

_QUEST: Explore and look for residents. Defeat the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_25 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_20% MAP CLEARED_

~

Sora stopped at another square, this time, a bronze statue in between. It was a figure of a man in robes, his build broad, tall, and powerful. His jaw was prominent from where it peeked from the hood of his clothes, the figure’s face obscured by a mask featuring a horse head with a horn protruding from its forehead.

 _Unicorn mask,_ Sora’s mind supplied.

Sora continued to look at the statue before a figure suddenly shifted in Sora's field of vision. He stopped, and turned to look at the person approaching him. He was clad in dark, skin-fitted clothes, a dark reflective helmet covering his face. His body build looked like he was around Sora's age, so he couldn't help but approach him as well.

"Umm, hey!"

The figure stopped in his tracks.

"Sora."

Sora was surprised. "You know who I am?"

The figure chuckled. "More or less."

Sora sighed in relief. "Oh, I see. That's great! Can you tell me where we are? I sort of just woke up around here, and I have no idea what I'm doing here."

The figure took a few beats before he answered. "Some game you're playing there, Sora. Making nice with the enemy?" the figure sneered.

"Enemy?"

"...Who am I, Sora?"

Sora frowned, and scratched the back of his head. "...I'm sorry. I...don't know you? Or at the very least, I don't remember you? I just woke up here and I don't really remember much of anything. I just...you said you knew me. Doesn't that make us friends? Did we get here together?"

The figure was silent for another moment before bursting into laughter. "Are you serious? For real? You _forgot everything?_ "

"Not everything!" Sora snapped, "I know this at least!" Without hesitation, Sora summoned his Keyblade. The figure stopped laughing and regarded him.

"Hmm. I suppose that's a good idea," Sora could hear the vicious smile in the figure's voice. The figure summoned his own Keyblade and took a battle stance.

"Let me jog your head a bit, and maybe you'll remember something."

~

_QUEST: Defeat the mysterious dark figure._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_ENEMY DEFEATED_

_25% MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Sora twisted in the air and delivered a vertical strike downwards, which was quickly blocked by the figure. He pushed Sora back, and before Sora could put his guard up, the figure had taken a quick strike at him, sending him hurtling towards a nearby wall.

Sora gasped as the pain travelled along his body; he heard something crack near his ribs. He quickly got back up and took a battle stance, already anticipating the figure's follow-up attack. This time, Sora managed to block the would-have-been devastating blow, and pushed him back far enough to regroup.

The figure laughed at him mockingly. "Is that the best you can do Sora? Pathetic."

"Shut up!"

Just as the both of them were lining up for another round, a loud voice echoed across the square.

" _Stopra!_ "

Both Sora and the figure stopped in their tracks, their bodies suspended in mid-action. Sora eyed the figure opposite him, who was grunting in exertion to get free of the spell. Footsteps sounded on the cobblestone streets of the square, and another figure emerged from a corner.

He was a tall male, clearly older, with cropped black hair and a solid build. He wore a leather jacket over a loose white shirt, a blue bandana hanging around his neck. He had dark pants and worn-out boots on, his gait confident yet cautious. And in one hand, he had his weapon drawn.

A Keyblade.

"Honestly, the first time Dandelions have been selected in years, and they try to take shots at each other," the older male sighed, "dematerialize your Keyblades, and then I'll undo my magic. Sound fair?"

Sora complied without complaint. The other figure took a few seconds of more struggling, before clearly giving in and dismissing his Keyblade. The new figure slashed his Keyblade in a horizontal strike, and the spell immediately dispelled.

Not a second later, the dark figure summoned his Keyblade again and lunged to attack the older male. Apparently, he anticipated the quick retaliation as well. Without any movement wasted, he blocked the attacker's overhead strike, and quickly sidestepped to shift his form into a counter attack. In less than a second, the older male disarmed the dark figure, and held the point of his Keyblade at the attacker's throat.

"Honestly, kids these days. Don't test me. A fight against me is not going to be a pretty sight."

Though reluctant, the dark figure yielded, and stayed where he was. His surrender seemed to convince the older male, as he smiled in relief before turning his attention to Sora.

" _Cura!_ "

A soft green glow enveloped Sora, and in a few seconds, the pains in his body disappeared. Sora smiled at the caster.

"Thanks!"

"No problem. Anything for a fellow Dandelion."

"...A dandelion?" Sora asked, confused.

"Yeah," the older male answered, "you wouldn't be here if you weren't brought here."

"And where is 'here' exactly?"

"Scala ad Caelum, the nexus of the worlds, where worlds end and begin."

"I see," Sora mused, "and what exactly did you call us? A dandelion? Who are you anyway?"

"Whoops, seems I forgot my manners," the older male chuckled, his low voice amused. Sora could tell he liked this guy already better than the dark figure. "My name's Halcyon, and I'm a Dandelion, part of the union that Foreteller Ava established. Nice to meet you...?"

 _Foreteller? That sounds familiar._ Before he could think deeper on it, Sora snapped himself out of it and heartily replied to Halcyon. "Sora. My name's Sora!"

"And you are?" Halcyon turned to the dark figure, who surprisingly has not pulled one over them.

"...Vanitas." The figure replied.

Sora reached inside his jacket and tried to feel for the source of his discomfort. His hand grazed something metallic and took it out, staring at an obviously broken device with a cracked screen.

 _Gummiphone_ , Sora's mind answered his unasked question. What the hell was a Gummiphone?

"Sora and Vanitas," Halcyon repeated, "all right, follow me. You're clearly new since I don't recognize your faces or your names, so let's get you to the Union leader."

Sora pocketed the broken device and took another glance at the dark figure - Vanitas - before walking towards Halcyon, already a few steps ahead of them. Sora felt Vanitas fall into step behind him, but didn't say anything else.

 

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

**SCALA AD CAELUM**

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

~

_QUEST: Go with Halcyon to the Union Headquarters._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Halcyon_

_74 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_30% MAP CLEARED_

~

"Vanitas!"

Sora sidestepped another attack from Vanitas, spinning his Keyblade in a backhand strike to counterattack. This time, Vanitas was unable to dodge in time, as Sora's strike made a solid connection to his head, destroying his protective helmet. Spider cracks quickly formed along the helmet's surface, as Vanitas pulled himself away from Sora, clutching his breaking helmet with one hand.

"I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Sora apologized. Footsteps echoed from behind him, alerting Sora of the older male approaching.

Halcyon glared at both of them. "You don't have to apologize, Sora; clearly Vanitas was just asking for it when he kept taking pot shots at you the entire fight against the Heartless. What the hell is your deal?!"

Vanitas laughed at the older male's indignation. "You talk to me as if I'm one of you – wielders of Light or what-not – when the truth is I am exactly the opposite of what you mistake me to be." Vanitas stood straight, letting the shards of his broken mask fall uselessly to the pavement, revealing his face.

Sora couldn't help the staggered breath he took, or the involuntary backstep he took.

Eyes gold as a Heartless' eyes, hair as dark as the darkness he wielded, and his skin was pale, almost glowing in the daylight.

And he looked exactly like Sora, despite the obvious differences.

"...Who are you?"

"Not so complacent to be chummy with me now huh?" Vanitas scoffed, "Figures. Just a little show of darkness and you get anxious, but show you something like this and you look ready to run for the hills."

A swirling mass of darkness formed around Vanitas' feet.  Strange creatures in black and blue emerged from it, forming an offensive line against Sora and Halcyon. The older male's eyes narrowed. "It seems it wasn't just a tinge of darkness I saw you use. You've fallen into the darkness already if you can summon the Heartless like this."

“Heartless? These babies aren’t as fragile as those darklings. These pets of mine are called Unversed,” Vanitas corrected, his eyes gaining a malicious gleam, “best not to get yourselves killed.”

Without further warning, Halcyon lunged forwards, meeting the first line of Unversed who have already broken formation, his Keyblade drawn back for a wide-angled strike.

Sora, strangely enough, didn't feel the urge to fight. "Wait!"

~

_QUEST: Defeat Vanitas and the Unversed_

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Halcyon_

_ENEMY Vanitas DEFEATED_

_32% MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

As Vanitas fell to his knees before him, Sora took another look at his look-alike. He could hear Halcyon dispel the remaining Unversed behind him, and Sora noticed how Vanitas flinched every time an Unversed was defeated.

"It hurts you, doesn't it?" Sora asked. Vanitas scoffed.

"What's it to you?"

Sora frowned. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Why, afraid to damage the face?" Vanitas sneered.

"I don't care about your face!" Sora snapped, before immediately backtracking, "or at least, not by that much. I guess I'm just shocked. You didn't say you..."

"Looked like you?" Vanitas let out a low chuckle, "C'mon Sora, of course I look like you. I already told you why. You just forgot."

"Are we really enemies?" Sora asked.

"Shouldn't it be obvious by now?"

"But why? You don't feel that way," Sora protested, "you don't - I feel like we're close, and not in the way you think."

"And what do you think _I'm_ thinking?"

"That we're enemies because of what other people said we are. That we should fight for causes we didn’t start off with. But it feels _wrong_. I don't want to fight. I don't want hurt you. I want to be your friend, you already _feel_ like my friend.

"And I don't know for certain if I really don't know you, or I just don't _remember_ you. So just tell me: who are you?!"

Vanitas stared up at him, his golden eyes taking in Sora's face. Sora stared back, refusing to back down. Sora could feel Halcyon a few feet back, could feel his stare at the back of his head, waiting to dive into action at a moment’s notice.

What Sora couldn’t express was how he could feel Vanitas’ volatile emotions as they ebbed from him. He knew the creatures he summoned before – the Unversed – forced a backlash on the dark boy when they were forcefully subjugated. It was every negative emotion Sora couldn’t even contain – distrust, sadness, loneliness, confusion, anger.

Loss.

He was being too emotional and unreasonable – Sora wanted it to stop.

Vanitas sighed.

"Once upon a time," Vanitas began, "there was a boy named Ventus, who, upon the experiment of a man named Xehanort, had his heart torn in two. One was the Light, who survived and lived, and the other was Darkness, who Xehanort took as his own. That was me - the darkness in Ventus' heart.

"The split damaged Ventus' heart severely, and in order to heal, Ventus' heart took refuge in a young boy's heart, who opened up his own vulnerable heart for Ventus to be healed. But the War was already upon every one, and when the Light and Dark sides of a heart clash, it doesn't end well. Ventus and I fought years later, but there was no real winner.

"So Ventus went back to the heart of the young boy who once healed him, and much like before, the boy took him in, healed his heart, until Ventus was whole again. Unexpectedly, the boy took on restoring the dark side of Ventus' heart as well, much like the first time, and so the Darkness took the form of the boy, his features twisted to suit the darkness.

“After all, I was still part of Ventus’ heart, though split from him. It would make sense that I was connected in some way to the boy as well.”

Sora got the picture.

"...It was me."

"Correct," Vanitas said, "and that is why I know you. At least, the darker parts of you, just as much as I know those whose hearts lived within you. You beat me before, yet here I am again.”

"Why do you fight me then? Did someone put you up to this?"

"Call it a force of habit," Vanitas smirked, "you make goading you to fight me too easy."

Sora let out a sound of frustration and dismissed his Keyblade. Vanitas eyed him warily. "I don't want to fight you," he said.

"Pretty convincing," Vanitas replied sarcastically, "when all we've done thus far was fight."

"Thanks to you! I’ve done nothing but try to be nice to you, yet all you do is push me away! I get that we used to be enemies, but I don’t see how that has to be the case this time too! I don’t want to fight you!" Sora shot back.

"You refuse to fight me because you don’t know _anything_. You’ve lost your memories, and as I take it, most of your skills as well. You’re basically worth shit at the moment!" Vanitas chuckled, "How can you even call me your friend? We're clearly not! I’ll give you some good advice though: making chummy with me? Not the best decision you’ll make.”

"I'll decide what's good for me or not," Sora glared back, his voice sounding uncharacteristically tired.

The darker-clad boy only cocked an unimpressed brow at him.

"Huh. How liberally independent," Vanitas snorted, "Alright. Fine. Let’s have it your way for now, _buddy_.”

"How _did_ you end up here anyway?"

Unexpectedly, Vanitas grew quiet, a pensive look taking over his face. For a moment, Sora found Vanitas to be less severe. He looked thoughtful, softer even, before the boy pulled a scowl and shook his head. "It doesn't matter to you. It's my business."

Sora wasn't so sure of that, but didn't push it. "Okay." He extended his hand out to help Vanitas up, but the boy swatted his hand away, and pushed himself to stand on his own. Vanitas glanced at Halcyon, who was eyeing them both warily.

“I hope you two managed to get your aggressions out. C'mon, there's people you need to meet," Halcyon said, sounding exhausted. Sora got the idea the older male was more tired of dealing with them than the actual figthing.

~

Halcyon got the feeling he stumbled on something he wasn't equipped to handle. It had been more than a year since he reformed from the darkness, surprising himself at how far the Dandelions _hadn’t_ dwindled in numbers over the years.

It's been centuries; he didn’t understand.

Having discovered how much of the worlds had changed and not changed since then as well, much less realizing how much _time_ had gone by without his awareness, was mind blowing.

Looking behind him, he tried to keep track of Sora and Vanitas.

Logically, they were two strangers that were proving to be more trouble than they're worth. They've fought each other rather viciously, despite one of them having barely any memories.

Sora he gets; he's proven to be a kind-hearted person despite his lost memories, something he was ultimately familiar with. If what Vanitas was saying was true, then that meant there had been another War, and Sora was delivered here sans his memories to protect his sanity.

Vanitas was the enigma; he was a being of darkness that should never be able to wield a Keyblade. But he does, and he has stated he has some connection with Sora - half of a heart. It was jarring and confusing to him, how Sora can be confrontational then amiable the next moment, and Vanitas shifted between hostility and careful silence just as unpredictably.

Both were acting strange, and though he doesn't know them well at all since he just met them, he felt they're acting so out of character with how they held themselves and each other. Like they were trying too hard to keep it together but coming off as awkward, like Sora insisting he and Vanitas were friends, and the other trying to fight Sora without any logical reason at all.

They didn't make sense - they were all over the place.

Perhaps that was the point though - something's changed with them and the outside worlds, and that's why they were summoned to Scala ad Caelum with the circumstances they have. He’s a bit glad he thought to hide his Chirithy away in advancefor the time being – it would’ve been dangerous for his beloved Spirit.

It's times like this he wished Ephemer and Skuld were here. Whatever was happening, Halcyon got the feeling things were just starting, and it's going to get more complicated.

~

The older Dandelion took Sora and Vanitas to one of the bigger houses near the top of the mountain. Despite not coming close in size to the huge windmill at the top, it was still an impressive structure. It was tall and glimmered white and gold in the sun, heavily adorned colonnades framing the front. Tall stained glass windows glinted in the sun, the steps leading to the main entrance mild yet lengthy.

The door itself was impressive - it stood meters taller than any of them, made of wood and containing symbols, sigils, and intricate carvings on its face. There were a few symbols that caught Sora's eye, feeling it should be familiar, but drawing short.

Halcyon pushed the door open and led them inside. The interior was equally impressive; a high vaulted ceiling spanned the length of the hall they entered, adorned with white and gold carvings and statues, corbels and brackets and emphasizing the impressive arches and pillasters. Floor to ceiling windows bathed the marvel floor in golden sun, giving the place an ethereal quality.

It was breathtaking.

"Lauriam, Elrena, I found new wielders by the square! I think they might be new Dandelions she sent out way," Halcyon called, his voice echoing inside the vast interior.

Sora tore his attention away from the architecture and looked at the head of the room, where he spotted two people walking towards them. One of them was a man with soft wavy pink hair tussled in a messy way, wearing a vest over a white dress shirt, top buttons left open. He was tall and walked confidently, his eyes transfixed on Sora and Vanitas. The other one was a female with strawberry blonde hair, slicked back. She wore a teal blazer over a white dress shirt, black tie around her collar. Her black skirt swished above her knees as she walked beside the pink-haired male, her eyes wide and amused.

Sora had the painful feeling he knew these two.

"Well, well, well! Look what the cat dragged in!" the blonde cackled, "Unbelievable! It's like Riku and his Replica all over again!"

That was when it clicked in Sora's head.

"Marluxia? Larxene?"

The blonde twittered in delight, as the pink haired man sighed.

"Sora, it's nice to see you under more pleasant circumstances," he acknowledged, before his narrowed eyes slid to his side, "but _you_. How are you here, Vanitas?"

"I have a feeling it's the same way as you," Vanitas said in a low voice, tone serious.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh? And how _did_ you get here? Enlighten us, why don't you? Depending on your answer, we may have to conduct a little _pest control_."

"I don't have to answer to you, or _any_ of you," Vanitas replied, as Sora moved forward to place himself between the woman and Vanitas, partly to defend the boy, and partly to draw the attention back on him.

"So you know me?" Sora asked, surprised at being addressed by his name earlier.

The pink-haired male - Marluxia - regarded him with a look. "Of course we know you, and you us, though it is by the name of our Nobodies. As of now, I'm known under my original name, Lauriam."

"And I'm Elrena - Larxene is _so_ dated. Better to forget her and just focus on me - the original and clearly better woman."

"I'd have thought you would remember us better, with us having fought numerous times before.”

Sora stared at him. "So we're...enemies?"

Marluxia - no, Lauriam - gave him a strange inquiring look. "No, not anymore. If both you and I are here in this world, it's most accurate to call us allies. Sora, why do you speak as if you don't remember us?"

Sora's cheeks blushed a little in embarassment. "Well you see..."

~

Elrena couldn’t believe this.

“Are you serious? Are you actually for _real_? You’re telling me that your sorry ass lost your memories? _Again_? What is this, Organization Rehash in Castle Oblivion Part Two? It’s me, Lauriam, and some Riku Replica wannabe in here - except now it's a Sora Replica what even - and you’re telling me your bitch ass doesn’t even remember _anything?_ At all? No bells ringing, any red flags waving?”

Sora crossed his arms and curled to himself in a defensive form. “It’s not like I _wanted_ to lose my memories. And what do you mean by ‘ _again’_?”

Elrena threw her hands up in the air in almighty exasperation. “Lauriam, I cannot _even_ with this kid.”

“Now, now, Elrena,” Lauriam demurred, suppressing an amused smile himself, “It couldn’t be helped. If what Sora told us was correct, then he has just come back from _that_ world after nearly dying.”

“Maybe he _was_ dead,” Vanitas interjected, “and was just revived because whatever higher power out there thought he shouldn’t be dead. Pretty dumb shit it pulled if you asked me.”

“Hey!” Sora threw Vanitas an annoyed look.

“And I’m not some replica wannabe. I’m an actual true being of darkness. If anything, it’s _you_ who tried becoming like me,” Vanitas continued.

Elrena didn’t miss a beat. “What you are is walking pile of spite, disrespect, and prepubescent angst. Don’t even talk to me – you’re even worse than Zexion’s attempts at being emo and edgy. And clearly, we weren’t imitating you. Have you forgotten the part we were all basically Xehanort’s bitches for majority of the time?”

“Wasn’t that your choice?” Vanitas snarked back.

“Was it yours?” Lauriam quietly threw back. Vanitas glared at him. “I think it’s obvious how little say we had in the grand scheme of things. We were all pawns in Xehanort’s intricate little chess game – we were fortunate that the side of Light won against him in the end. Even if you can't remember it now, we have you to thank for that, Sora.

“Though obviously, some of your actions came at a heavy price.” Lauriam concluded.

Elrena hummed a drawn out note. “It’s not so surprising. You couldn’t have been _that_ lucky. Guess _that_ world took your memories as collateral instead of your Keyblade. Pretty shitty deal, but hey, at least you still have the means to protect yourself.”

“If only he remembered how to actually use it,” Vanitas drawled.

“You could teach him,” Lauriam prompted, a calculating look in eyes, “your combat styles may be different, but ultimately, amongst those related to Sora’s heart, you may be the closest one to his original style. Halcyon will oversee your training though, considering how dangerous you could let yourself be.”

“Shit is right! I use the darkness, which he doesn't use, and I use much more aggression with my strikes than he does!”

“As opposed to Ventus who has a backhanded grip, Roxas who uses two Keyblades at a time, and Xion who isn’t even here,” Lauriam countered. Sora reeled at the names Lauriam just mentioned. Ventus? Roxas? Xion? The names resounded within him, like pieces of a puzzle he didn't know where to place.

“Aren’t you Keyblade wielders yourselves? Why don’t you teach him?” Vanitas raised his chin at the older male petulantly.

“Weren’t you listening? You _use_ the closest style to Sora's combat style,” Elrena rolled her eyes. “And besides...”

The blonde raised her arms in front of her, one arm parallel to her chest and the other hand above her head – a battle stance of some sort – and in a flash of lightning, her hands were coated in bright electricity forming Larxene’s signature yellow daggers in between her fingers.

Beside her, Lauriam raised his hand in front of him as if to summon his Keyblade, but instead of the expected weapons rush of light, a flush of rose petals revealed a huge pink scythe instead.

“Apparently, karma has decided to pay us back for siding with the darkness for so long. We can still summon our respective Nobody’s weapons,” Lauriam explained, “but right now? We can’t summon our Keyblades.”

Sora’s eyes grew wide at them. “What?! Then how-?”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head, hero,” Elrena waved her knives away, fading in a spark of electricty, “we can still definitely summon them; it miiiiiiiiiiiight just take time to be able to call them again.”

“It’s the reason why I’ve been keeping a relatively low profile since I reformed back here,” Lauriam frowned, banishing his scythe and staring at his hands with an absent look, “I’m the only Union leader left to oversee the Dandelions at the moment. Ventus is with Aqua and Terra, but I’ve no idea where Ephemer and Skuld are. Even Brain, who was supposed to have stayed with me, isn’t anywhere to be found. It was bad enough that the Dandelions had been left unsupervised for as long they have, but to have them worry about me being unable to summon my Keyblade after surviving the darkness?” Lauriam shook his head. “No, that would tank everyone’s morale.”

“Our boy Halcyon here’s one of Dandelions who knows about Lauriam and I’s situation,” Elrena tilted her head in the direction of the other Keybalde wielder in the room, “apparently, he came back from the darkness himself quite some time ago. He’s been basically our temporary retainer.”

“More like babysitter. You have no idea how accurate that is to describe my current job,” Halcyon quipped. Elrena threw him a nasty look.

“What can we do to help?” Sora offered. Vanitas rolled his eyes at the other boy – trust the Keyblade’s Chosen One to segue his current situation into helping others.

Lauriam smiled at Sora. “You can help us by helping yourself: learn how to use your Keyblade from Vanitas, and after you get suitably used to it, Halcyon will teach you how to collect Lux from the Heartless.”

“You’re never fucking letting this go, huh?” Vanitas asked, voice devoid of inflection.

“We could ask Hal to teach the kid instead, but Hal’s style incorporates how ambidextrous he is. It’d only confuse Sora in the long run if he takes Hal’s switching-hands form. It may not be the most ideal, but you’re Sora’s best chance, Vanitas,” Lauriam replied, clearly closing the topic for any argument.

“I’ll watch over them, help them blend in,” Halcyon added.

“Blend in? With Emo and Edgy over there looking like a budget knock-off of a darkness-possessed human? Not with that outfit. Perhaps if you wore something that didn’t look like the Heartless wore, like, ten years ago, _maybe_ Vanitas could blend in.”

The boy in question bristled at Elrena’s commentary, but before he could fire another incendiary reply, Lauriam took charge of the conversation again. “Sora could use a change of clothes as well. I’m sure the vestments he’s wearing are good, but the style definitely stands out here. It’s best he change clothes as well.”

Sora laughed. “Really? New clothes? Awesome! Thanks Lauriam!”

~

_OBTAINED New Clothes!_

_Wear them?_

_> Yes                  No_

~

~

“Oh wow! These clothes are pretty neat! It’s almost like I’m another person now!” Sora twisted and turned in his place, getting a good look at his new clothes.

He wore the same white long sleeve button up as the other Dandelions, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and top buttons open. Over it, he wore a black short-sleeve jacket, the jacket’s torso stopping past his waist, and he wore a red patterned scarf loosely wrapped around his neck. He still wore his crown shaped necklace, partially hidden by his new scarf, but his gloves were replaced with new ones; long black fingerless ones extending right before his elbow. He wore loose pants that stopped above his ankles and a complex looking belt with a small leather pouch. Tying his look was a pair of boots much like his previous ones, his new ones in a dark color without bright coloring.

In the process of changing clothes, Sora threw away his broken Gummiphone. When he found a strange blue card with a strange insignia on it, Sora immediately pocketed it, feeling the card would come in handy.

 _Hang on to it. Could turn the tables._ A voice in his head echoed.

Vanitas was coincidentally wearing something of a similar ensemble; but instead of wearing his long-sleeved dark jacket though, he tied it around his waist instead. His white button up was sleeveless, showing off his well-toned arms. Where Sora wore his red scarf loosely around his neck, Vanitas wore his blue patterned one snugly, almost looking like a bandana. His gloves stopped at his wrist, and on his left, he wore a black and white checkered wristband. His mid-leg high boots were more of a regular size compared to Sora's.

Vanitas couldn’t believe this.

“Is this a fucking joke to you? We have almost the same clothes! What are we, your play dolls?”

“Don’t sulk, you overdark baby, pouting doesn’t suit you,” Elrena fired back.

"Says you! Your pastel clothes barely match the actual bitch that is your personality!"

"First of all: fuck you. Second, I did my time wearing black with the Organization. And my pastel clothes highlight my womanly charm, thank you very much. Not like you'd know anything about women anyway," Elrena sneered.

"I know one thing about women, and that's I like them on their knees as I pound them -"

"Oh my god!" Elrena gasped with a scandalized face.

"-with my Keyblade as they beg for mercy -"

"Oh dear," Lauriam murmurred.

"-and surrender defeat to me!"

There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at Vanitas.

"That is vicious. Kinky, but vicious," Halcyon looked uncomfortable.

"I may not remember much, but I don't think that's how you should treat women," Sora intoned, confused at everyone's reactions but nonetheless disturbed at Vanitas' crassness.

"That's not how you should treat anyone, period," Lauriam interjected, "were you raised by heathens?"

"I was raised by Xehanort."

Another moment of silence.

"Um, sorry?" Sora offered, unsure about that statement.

“Look, the clothes are a gift. Now all you need to do is simple: Teach Sora a few tricks, and we’ll let you off the hook with our previous mutual dark engagements,” Elrena pushed through, “you’re here now, might as well make use of what we’re dealing with. Think of it as request from your superiors.”

Apparently, that was even more of a wrong thing to say as Vanitas glared at them and snapped.

" _Superiors?_ What, like me and Sora are just fodder you have to deal with? You think a few clothes is enough to bribe me to do your bidding? You know what? I don't need this shit. I don't care for any of this Dandelion shit you're playing at - I want no part of it. Where do you get off thinking like you're doing me a favor, huh? If you're done treating like some charity case, sort yourselves out. I'm out of here." With a flick of his wrist, a Corridor opened up from the wall, and Vanitas vanished into it, just like that.

There was yet another pause.

Lauriam sighed. "Well. We could have handled that better I suppose."

"It's Vanitas, the literal dark side of a heart," Elrena snorted, "our attempts of taming him was doomed from the start. I'm surprised we even managed to get him in new clothes. Let him throw his fit for now, we'll find him later."

Sora didn't like how the three older Dandelions talked about Vanitas, and him by extension, as if they weren't really present in the room. Sora got the feeling they weren't being taken seriously, which, granted was maybe because he was a walking amnesiac and Vanitas was a psychopath, but he didn't like how he felt like they were being handled with too much caution but minimal emotional investment despite claiming they all knew each other. He gets the feeling nobody knows what to do with anyone, and were just pushing through, and they were a mess.

Sora would know; he's doing exactly just that.

"You guys...aren't treating him like an actual person."

The three of them stared at him.

"Excuse me?" Elrena asked incredulously.

"Obviously, you know more about him than I do," Sora continued, looking at his hands absently, "I don't remember anything, and he and I don't understand anything what's really going on, and then you talk to us like we're children, when even without my memories, I can tell we have responsibilities to fulfil like you do."

Sora turned to look at them. "He may not be my friend, he may be my enemy, and there may not be any point in even drawing him close, but even if he didn't have my face, it doesn't change the fact that he somehow plays a role in all of this.

"Even if we do go after him now, it would only make it worse - you know him too much, and I know too little. So just...tell me. Tell me what's going on. Please."

Sora's voice cracked at the end, showing how stressed he actually was about the situation. Elrena glanced at Lauriam, who was giving Sora a strange look. He shook his head, before calmly smiling at Sora. This smile, Sora noticed, wasn't patronizing. In fact, it was kind of a sad smile.

"Empathy is a key trait that a leader should have. It seems the time I've spent without a heart has left me emotionally incompetent. I've failed to notice how stressful it's been for you to lose your memories like this, and how uncomfortable we've made Vanitas. I'm sorry if we've come across as insensitive or cruel, it wasn't our intention," Lauriam apologized.

"Well, we have tried going back to how it was before, but it's hard to remember the people we used to be, and much easier to slip into the personas we've become," Elrena added. "Being human is easy. Being humane is another thing."

"Still, you're right," Lauriam ammended, "we weren't being fair. It's hypocrital for us to treat you like children who couldn't handle anything, when it was around your age when the responsibility of keeping the Light alive fell on our shoulders. As the Union X, we Dandelions shoulder a heavy responsibility, but even I admit we’re floundering. I haven't even found my..."

"Lauriam," Elrena gave him a sad look.

"Anyway," Lauriam shook his head out his thoughts, "it's only fair you stand on the same ground as us. Whether you were brought here to be a Dandelion or not, Sora, you were brought here for a reason. Shibuya doesn't summon people to play their game without reason."

"Okay," Sora nodded, "so tell me everything."

"I'll tell you everything I do know. I'll start from the beginning, if you don't mind," Lauriam prompted a response from Sora. The boy nodded.

"Once there was a man who wore the original black vestments that the Organization wore. He was a man of immense knowledge and power, and he was called the Master of Masters..."

~

"You sure about going alone?" Halcyon asked Sora.

"Yeah," Sora flashed him a smile and a thumbs up. "I'll be fine. I may not have my memories, but Lauriam filled me in quite a bit. It was a lot to take in and remember, but I think I'll be fine."

Sora's head is filled with names and places that feel he should know but don't. But still, it's a weird comfort, knowing that somewhere out there, there are people who genuinely care for him.

_Riku and Kairi. Destiny Islands._

_Roxas, Naminé, Xion, and Axel. Twilight Town._

_Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. Castle Oblivion._

_Ansem and his apprentices. Hallow Bastion. Radiant Garden. Leon, Tifa, Yufie, Aerith, and Cid._

_Disney Castle. King Mickey._

_Donald and Goofy._

His heart feels full, and the earlier unease in him has been quieted to a calm beating of his heart. Sora put his hand on the area over his heart, and closed his eyes. He tried to conjure an image in his head of all these people he should remember and know.

He opened his eyes. He can't picture them at all. It frustrates Sora, but he doesn't dwell on it. For now, there are more pressing matters.

"Be careful Sora," Halcyon patted his shoulder. "I know I should hate Vanitas for all that he did – following Xehanort's orders – and him choosing the Darkness, but I can sort of see why you felt the need to draw him close. It wasn't all his fault - he really didn't ask for any of this."

"I know," Sora replied seriously, "It may not be my place, but I want to give him a chance to be our ally. Maybe even become actual friends."

Halcyon chuckled. "You've made so many friends based on Lauriam and Elrena's story. It may be the incomplete version of the story since there was a time they didn't meet with you, but I think that if anyone can bring someone to our side, it would be you."

"Wish me luck then!" Sora grinned, before rushing down the steps and heading to explore the town, waving briefly at Halcyon who was waving back at him, and took the first alley. Sora could almost hear garbled voices in his ear, calling his name, casting magic and the clinking sound of a shield, feeling oddly companionable.

It may have been just his imagination, but Sora got the feeling that as long as he kept his friends in his heart, memory or not, he was never truly alone.

~

_QUEST: Go around Scala Ad Caelum to look for Vanitas._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_236 Heartless DEFEATED_

_53% Scala Ad Caelum MAP CLEARED_

~

_"The Dandelions was established by Foreteller Ava, as it was the role she was given by the Master of Masters. The Dandelions were an exceptional group of Keyblade wielders from every Union, to be sent to the ‘outside world’ in order to escape the horrors of the Keyblade War."_

_"Ava chose five new leaders for the Dandelions. Ephemer and Skuld were the first chosen. Ventus came next, then Brain. I was the last one. In order to ensure the Dandelions' survival, Ephemer, Skuld, and Ventus ventured to the outside worlds to gather resources, while Brain and I stayed."_

_"But things...didn't turn out so great."_

_"A man named Xehanort took on an apprentice, Ventus, and when his apprentice was unable to produce the X-bade, he split the boy's heart in two - light and dark - which gave birth to Vanitas."_

_“...Oh. So Vanitas has actually told of that huh? Interesting...”_

_"Terra became one of Xehanort's vessels, and Aqua fell to the dark abyss."_

_"One of the worlds to fall to the darkness was Destiny Islands, your home world. This is where your part in the story starts, Sora."_

~

With the hours that have gone by since Sora started looking for Vanitas, the skies had turned into a gorgeous display of oranges and pinks, the sun dipping into the ocean on the horizon giving a picturesque view. Going around the city, it appears there actually are people living in the huge place, as he's now bumped into quite a few other people - all of them Keyblade wielders of various ages that identify themselves as Dandelions. There were more of those on the older side than there were that was Sora's age, but they were all kind and friendly, offering Sora food and drinks, and telling him little things about the city.

A hazy memory floated in Sora's head, a similar sunset overlooking the ocean, but instead of the majestic display of mountain cities, he remembered simple basic houses, tall palm trees and coconut trees, soft beaches and an old Paopu fruit tree.

He got the feeling this was like a typical afternoon back home - Destiny Islands.

He's trying to get used to it, taking the story Lauriam told him as his actual life, but it's hard, especially when he's missing too many pieces in his head to actually to accept someone's accounts on him as the truth. Sora trusts them, of course, but it's _himself_ he can't trust.

 _Am I really the kind of person they tell me to be? Am I really that good of a person?_ Sora found himself asking that question.

When the sunset bathed the world in reds and oranges, the lanterns all over the city began lighting up. He found himself standing in the last place he had resolved to check - the mountaintop's windmill. He hasn't explored enough of this world to say he's looked at every corner, but Sora felt this was where his look-alike had headed.

When he thought about it, it was like he subconsciously avoided the windmill all day until it grew late. Part of him knew that he suspected Vanitas went here for solitude, and had distracted himself all day because despite his confidence in Vanitas being a potential ally, he wasn't confident he'd say the right thing.

But it had been hours, and he's given Vanitas enough space to cool his head down he thought, and any later might be too late. And besides, he can’t afford to distract himself away from the conversation they need to have. So with a deep breath, Sora entered the building and wound his way up.

~

"Took you long enough."

Vanitas stood across the wide terrace of the windmill's top floor. The sun had set and it was evening, the world of Scala ad Caelum glittering with gold and yellow lights against the dark sea and cloudless night sky. Above them rose the moon, full and glowing brightly. Under the moonlight, Vanitas looked unearthly, and Sora could almost believe the similarly dressed boy was glowing himself.

"I looked everywhere for you."

"There was a big ass windmill on top of this mountain island city. You didn't think to check here first, this place being the most obvious place I could've gone to?"

"I did." Sora didn't elaborate. Vanitas gave him a raised brow.

"Huh. So you did a little sightseeing first huh? Think of ending your sweet day with little ole me under the moon? What a _romantic_." he sneered.

One thing that Sora's beginning to realize is that words? They're not going to work on Vanitas when he was like this. Sora could think of all the things he wanted to say to convey his feelings, how he felt Vanitas' pull on him, wax poetic how they could - s _hould_ \- be allies. But, well, Sora wasn't really that smart with words, but he knew the right things to say.

More importantly, he knew the right things to _do_.

"I was doing some thinking on my own. Just to sort things out for myself. And I have a few things I want to say to you," Sora began.

Vanitas chuckled darkly. "Really now? Is that a confession?"

"But you and I both know you're not likely to listen to me anyway," Sora continued, before holding his hand out and summoning his Keyblade. "So I guess I'll just have to try harder to make you listen!"

A surprised look crossed the other boy's face, before a feral grin took over, his eyes glinting in excitement.

"Yeah? _Make me._ "

~

_QUEST: Defeat Vanitas._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_ENEMY Vanitas DEFEATED_

_55% Scala Ad Caelum MAP CLEARED_

_LEARNED Combo Plus_

_LEARNED Slapshot_

_LEARNED Sliding Dash_

_LEARNED Counterattack_

_LEARNED Strike Raid!_

_LEARNED Blitz!_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Sora rolled himself on the ground to avoid a fatal attack from Vanitas. The gold-eyed boy swung another vicious strike at him, this time colliding with Sora's Keyblade in a rough attempt at a block, sending Sora back a few feet. Sora twisted himself off the floor and lunged forwards, extending his arm for an upward strike.

Vanitas leaned back, the edge of Sora's weapon barely grazing his chin. The other boy regrouped and launched an Unversed at him, which Sora made quick work of, bringing his Keyblade up in time to block another strike from Vanitas.

The force Vanitas exerted had Sora  go down on one knee to hold back his opponent, as he felt his arms straining against his powerful opponent. Instead of relenting, Vanitas shifted into a more flexible form, setting his stance back in order to barrage Sora's flimsy block with quick succesive hacks at his defense.

Sora felt himself get desperate, and in an attempt to push him back, he grunts, and pushed back against Vanitas. His counterattack was a lot more powerful apparently, as Sora's Keyblade was enveloped in light, sending Vanitas a few feet back.

Not one to waste his chance, Sora followed up with a four-strike combination move, his body somehow moving on muscle memory. Vanitas tried to block his attacks, but being overwhelmed and caught off-guard by Sora's sudden powerful attack, he failed to block successfully.

Sora's third strike disarmed Vanitas, and the finishing strike slashed him across the chest, sending him stumbling to the ground.

Vanitas tried to get up, but his face was met by the end of Sora's Keyblade. It was over - he lost.

Black tendrils curled away from Vanitas's chest. Sora knew what that meant; he was fading.

"Go on, hero of light," Vanitas spoke, his voice devoid of tone or inflection, dropping to the floor on his back spread eagle, "finish the job."

"Was it like this before, when I beat you the first time?" Sora asked.

Vanitas smirked. "More or less. I am, after all, the darkness to your light."

"I said I have a few things to say to you," Sora repeated his earlier words. Vanitas sneered at him, mocking him even in his last moments. Sora was tempted to just hit the other boy just to wipe the look on his face.

Instead, Sora dismissed his Keyblade and sat beside the other boy, until their bodies aligned to be parallel to each other. Without hesitation, he grabbed Vanitas' hand beside his, and closing his eyes as if to concentrate, _he held on to the darkness_.

"What are you doing," Vanitas voice croaked, "what are you...why are you holding on to me like this?"

"Like I said, I have a few things to say to you," Sora repeated, keeping his voice level and calm, "I can't exactly say anything to you if you disappear."

"You're trying to keep me here," Vanitas realized. "That's dangerous, Sora. You fell to the darkness once already. Just say what you want and let me go."

"Is that concern for me?" Sora teased, letting out a soft chuckle, eyes still closed, "I won't fall. Not again. Not like this. Not if you keep me here too. You said we're connected right? You're the dark part of my heart or something. We'll keep each other here. Light and darkness, both in balance."

"You'd ask that of me?" Vanitas asked. "What could you possibly say that would make me want to linger here?"

"I want you to stay," Sora answered, "I have a few things-"

"-to say to me, or so you keep repeating," Vanitas sighed, "Just tell 'em to me. Whatever it is."

"I never said I'd say it now," Sora replied.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Vanitas asked.

Sora opened his eyes and turned to look at Vanitas, only to find the other boy was staring at him already, his gold eyes standing catching the moonlight. In limited light, just like this, Vanitas looked so much like Sora, apart from the eyes. It was easy to see what Vanitas really was - he wasn't just some dark entity torn from someone else.

He was a boy just like him. A real, actual person with his own heart.

Sora smiled.

"Guess you'll just have to stay close to me to find out."

Sora let go of Vanitas' hand, and as he looked at his chest, he's happy to discover the other boy was no longer fading.

"You used your light to anchor my darkness," Vanitas touched his chest almost tenderly, like he couldn't believe he was still there.

"That's how everything began right?" Sora smiled, "there was Light and Darkness. The two sides didn't really fight, they just existed. It was just people who made it all complicated. Who says we couldn't just exist and just be ourselves, without complicating?"

Vanitas stared at him.

"Who indeed."

~

_QUEST: Meet up with the Dandelions at the Union Headquarters._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas_

_384 Heartless DEFEATED_

_68% Scala Ad Caelum MAP CLEARED_

~

The walk back to the headquarters was mostly silent. With the night stretching on, Sora and Vanitas exterminated rogue Heartless prowling the streets, occasionally bumping into a few Dandelions on the way. One of them even gave them crepes, which the two of them ate for dinner on their way back to the Union Headquarters.

Since their weirdly vulnerable moment at the windmill tower, Vanitas felt off-balance. While he expected Sora would be the one to find him in the end, he didn't expect it would take him an entire day. He didn't expect Sora to take his time because he was thinking of the right things to say, and he didn't expect Sora to beat him and then _anchor him._

Nobody's ever really done that before. He could argue that Ventus used to do that, but it would be more accurate to say that it was Vanitas who anchored himself to Ventus. The blond boy rejected him time and time again - it was exactly this clash of light and darkness that made the attempt to forge the X-blade an almost success the first time.

It was the complete opposite of Sora, who took one glance at him and mistook him for a friend, even without seeing his face.

The other Keyblade wielders he's encountered all fell to one side of the spectrum of that argument. Master Xe-no, Xehanort embraced the darkness and rejected the light. Terra fought to reject the darkness within him. Aqua fought against the dark and all it stood for. And Ventus? He had his darkness ripped away from him, and made him so unsympathetic to the influence of darkness.

He's never met anyone like Sora, who embraced the light yet stretched out a hand to the darkness like the way he did, like it was perfectly natural for the two sides to exist side by side without conflict.

He took note of Sora walking - skipping - a few feet ahead of him, his tan complexion and brown spiky hair looking warm under the light of the street lamps. He looked childish and carefree, but behind his naiveté Vanitas knew Sora was more than just his smiles.

He was a powerful Keyblade wielder. And Vanitas knew why.

Sora was honest. Despite his memory loss, Sora never wavered from what his heart told him. He didn't let his lack of memory and being surrounded by complete strangers cloud his sense of judgment and trust - he believed in the best that was in everyone, and so everyone else returned it back to him.

Even someone like Vanitas.

Sora's heart was strong, so his memory loss didn't impair his sanity as much as it would have other people. His heart guided him to stay true to himself - to what he believed was right, even if everyone else believed otherwise.

Despite their earlier confrontations, Vanitas could sense Sora's strange protectiveness over him. It grated at him; he wasn't some weak boy who needed protecting from anyone, but if he a little bit more honest with himself, he didn't like how vulnerable it made him feel to see Sora subtly angle his body protectively over his, and how he liked the feeling someone watching out for him.

Sora made him feel weak, and he hated it.

"You've been quiet for some time now."

Vanitas refocused his vision and looked at Sora, his face morphed into an expression of open curiosity. "Munny for your thoughts?"

"Why the hell are you skipping around like a child out in the street at night?" Vanitas shot at him.

"I'm just happy we're getting along better," Sora chirped, before throwing him another look, "we are right?"

"You could say I could tolerate you better now. Happy?" Vanitas figured it wouldn't hurt to just throw Sora that one bone - the blue-eyed boy was really persistent in his pursuit for his friendship.

"Yeah!"

Vanitas was wrong. It did hurt - he never knew how such open acceptance would leave him feeling vulnerable. He's never had this before, you know? Something he could almost believe was actual friendship. He hid his inner turmoil with a poker face and caught up to Sora, flicking him on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"Enough dawdling. The jerks at the headquarters are probably waiting for us."

~

Halcyon greeted them by the front door.

"Welcome back you two," he smiled.

Vanitas looked away. He couldn't handle a second person looking at him brightly like that. It was too much.

"Sorry we got back late. We met a bunch of the other Dandelions though, one of them even treated us to dinner! It was fun," Sora chimed in.

The older male chuckled softly. "Glad to hear it. Lauriam and Elrena have retired to their chambers. We could all talk again tomorrow. You guys can use any of the guest rooms on the east wing - we could all use some rest."

"Alright." Sora replied as Vanitas nodded.

Looking pleased, Halcyon turned around and walked away, heading for the west wing. "Good night!"

"Good night!" Sora returned happily. The two of them trudged on to the east wing as directed, letting their footsteps resound in the hall's silence. The two of them found themselves stopping at different doors, their rooms on diagonal to each other's, on opposite sides of the hall.

"Hey Vanitas?" he looked at Sora who was looking at him with a scrunched expression, "you'll be here in the morning right? I don't have to go around town to look for you again tomorrow, right?"

Vanitas wanted to snark back at Sora, that it wasn't the boy's business what he wanted to do with his time. But Sora's tried so hard to talk to him, willingly fought him even when they both knew it was unnecessary. Vanitas couldn't do Sora dirty like that, not after this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow, he'd go back to talking shit again. But for now...

"You'll find me the same way you did this morning," Vanitas spoke, his eyes never breaking from Sora's, his voice clear, "you'll wake up, and I'll find my way to you."

Sora smiled brightly at him before opening the door to his room. "Good night Vanitas."

As Sora's door shut, Vanitas was left standing alone before his room's door, and he could almost feel himself be happy, even for a little.

~

After eating breakfast in the dining hall, Sora, Vanitas, and Halcyon returned to the main hall from yesterday, where Lauriam and Elrena were already present. Elrena still had that impish smile on her face, but Sora could tell it was a touch less sharper than it was yesterday. Lauriam had a more open expression, genuinely smiling at all of them this time.

"A little birdy told me you two got back late last night," Elrena began.

Sora laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. Was there a curfew?"

Lauriam chuckled. "No, don't worry. A few Dandelions we came across this morning were just talking about you two. They were gossiping how the two of you looked so worn out from whatever it was you were fighting yesterday."

Halcyon smiled. "Guess word's getting around about them, huh?"

"Have the two of you come to an understanding?" Lauriam asked them.

Sora glanced at Vanitas, who wore an impassive expression. He almost looked unperturbed, if not for his fingers slightly twitching at his sides. Sora had to smile - he wasn't the only one feeling anxious about things.

"Yeah. I suppose you could say that."

"Great!" Elrena clapped her hands. "Has Vanitas started teaching you his wicked ways then?"

Lauriam threw the blonde a scolding look, to which the woman just shrugged. "What?"

"Sort of?" Sora sounded unsure, "we sparred yesterday."

"He almost killed me," Vanitas added.

"I can see he failed to do so," Elrena responded drily, "I'm at least glad you didn't bite the dust Vanny, we really could use more Keyblade wielders."

Vanitas bristled at the ridiculous name Elrena called him as Sora stopped himself from laughing. "Don't give me fuckass nicknames!"

“Anyways,” Lauriam interjected, “we’ve come to realize that yesterday, we haven’t been fair with you and Sora, but more so on you. We moved forward with things without considering your position, and for that we’re sorry.”

Lauriam bowed his head in apology, his elbow making contact with Elrena’s side. The blonde winced, before lowering her head a just a bit in apology as well.

“Sorry about yesterday. We only had your best interests in mind. I suppose we just didn’t handle everything too well,” Elrena added, tone serious yet still somehow containing her level of sass.

“I don’t fucking care much about how you treated me yesterday,” Vanitas began, his tone equally serious, “so you don’t have to apologize for shit. You can pity and patronize me all you want, that doesn’t change the fact I can still hand your asses to you in a fight. What did irk me yesterday was how immediately you dumped Sora’s situation at me. You don’t trust me, but the second you realized I could be Sora’s training dummy, you fuckin’ thought I’d just lay there and take it, do your orders for you like some servant. You were willing to hand over a double-edged sword to Sora, that while it may have helped him, it would also harm him, but that didn’t matter. You had me change my clothes like you’d dull my blade, and treat me like a kid like how you would handle weapons with gloves. To you, I was just an instrument Sora can use and Halcyon can supervise. You trusted the handler, not the weapon.”

“You didn’t like that they handed you to me like you were a tool,” Sora said somberly, realizing what really ticked Vanitas off yesterday.

“All my life, I followed Xehanort’s orders every time. I came, I saw, and I conquered things, all because he told me to. It didn’t matter how good I would be – how good I would become – because in the end I was just another one of his tools: expendable and replaceable. In the end, I lost to Sora and Ventus, not expecting a return. But then somehow, I’m here, and I’m not chained to anybody who wants to use me. Now that I’m here and Xehanort isn’t? Fuck that! I’m not becoming anybody’s tool to use, not anymore! I may not know why I truly came back here for, but I’m not letting anybody else dictate what I should and shouldn’t do.”

Vanitas turned his gaze on everyone in the room, his eyes landing on Sora last. “I’ll teach Sora, but I’ll do it because _I_ chose to. Not because any of you shitstains think that’s all I’m good for. And I’ll do it when want to, and how I want to, and I’ll do it all on my own terms, and none of you can goddamn say otherwise!”

The hall was shocked into silence after Vanitas’ speech, all eyes on the room looking at Vanitas in a new light, and the silence only ended when Elrena started slowly clapping.

“‘ _I am my own person’_ ,” Elrena said, sounding like she was quoting it from somewhere. Surreptitiously, her gaze wandered over to Sora, who was still looking at Vanitas. “Just like every single one of Sora’s relations.” For the briefest of moments, she smiled softly, as if she was remembering something fondly. “A whole heart of your own, huh? That’s not surprising.”

“That’s fine Vanitas. In fact, I find it admirable you’d assert yourself so actively and independently,” Lauriam smiled at them as well, “as long as you stay out of trouble, you’re free to choose what you want to do. I was reluctant to call you a Dandelion before, but knowing such strong emotions flow in your heart and your Keyblade, I suppose it’s no mistake that you reformed here in this world.

“Sora, Vanitas, welcome to Union X, our fellow Dandelions.”

Sora let out a whoop as a soaring feeling in his heart swelled into happy laughter. “Yes! All right! Let’s do our best Vanitas!”

Vanitas merely scoffed and turned his face away from Sora. “Don’t drag me down Sora, or I’ll drag your body instead if you hold me back.”

“Oh? Think Lauriam’s official welcome is good enough?” Elrena arched a brow at them, “my, my, how presumptuous! Everybody knows that every group has their own set of initiation rituals, and the Union is no different.”

“We had an initiation rite?” Halcyon whispered to Lauriam, who only shook his head, his smiled crooking to one of amusement at Elrena’s antics.

“An initiation ritual? What do we have to do?” Sora asked, his excitement still not abating.

“Thus far, all you’ve fought against are Heartless and each other. Halcyon told us yesterday that it didn’t take much to take you both down from destroying public space,” Vanitas glared at Halcyon, who only raised his palms in surrender, “so now it’s time to prove your mettle.”

“Prove our mettle?” Vanitas asked, his tone dripping in annoyance.

“That’s right. Work together and show us what you’re capable of doing,” Elrena winked. “And don’t worry; Lauriam, Halcyon and I will take it easy on you. Don’t wanna damage the precious cargo.”

“Take it easy huh?” a tone of competitiveness took over Sora’s voice. Vanitas smiled at the other boy’s excitement for a round with the Dandelions. “Sure you can afford to take it easy against us?”

“We’ll see,” Lauriam smirked, a shower of pink flower petals raining around him as he summoned his scythe. Elrena and Halcyon summoned their knives and Keyblade respectively, and in a flash, the two sides met in the middle of the hall, competitive spirits ablaze.

~

_QUEST: Defeat Lauriam, Elrena, and Halcyon._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas_

_Halcyon DEFEATED_

_Elrena DEFEATED_

_Lauriam DEFEATED_

_74% Scala Ad Caelum MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Lauriam threw his scythe forwards, glowing as it spun in a vicious wheel careening towards Sora. Vanitas summoned an Unversed to take the hit and redirect it towards him to counter it, nullifying the Union leader’s attack. Sora lunged backwards and hurled his Keyblade away, the wayward _Strike Raid_ hitting Lauriam on his vulnerable right side.

Vanitas catapulted himself in the air and cast _Dark Flare_ onto the opponent, grazing Lauriam just a bit as the older male agilely avoided the fire attack by leaping to his left. It turns out to be a bad decision, as Sora met him at the position he propelled himself at.

Summoning back his scythe, he blocks another one of Sora’s hits, but is ultimately caught off-guard by Vanitas leaping back to the ground and performing his own _Strike Raid_ , the long-distance move effectively disarming the Union leader. Sora held the edge of his Keyblade against Lauriam’s face, and recognizing when to yield, he chuckled and held his palms up.

“I yield. Well done, both of you,” Lauriam praised them, “Sora, you’ve performed a spectacular amount of techniques in such a short time to relearn them; I’m impressed.”

“What’d I tell ya?” Vanitas sauntered over to them, “Told you I’d hand your asses to you.”

“Only because we took it easy,” Elrena breezed at him, flicking her hand at them in a dismissive gesture. Vanitas raised a cocky brow at him.

“Careful with your hand there, Elly, we don’t wanna _sprain_ it any further,” Vanitas snarked at her.

“Oh? You know what else we don’t want sprained but you’re getting anyway? A sprained _neck_. Why don’t I just throttle that smug look off your face, hmm?” Vanitas and Elrena started bickering at each other in no time at all, Halcyon sighing at them. Sora smiled; it seems the spar has cleared the air between all of them, now replaced with a sense of competitiveness and camaraderie.

"Before we forget ourselves," Lauriam interjected, drawing everyone’s attention to him, "Halcyon, I'm sending you on a mission to Traverse Town. The amount of concern that Mira's team of Dandelions is gathering from the others is worrying - apparently they haven't been responding to any messages directed to them.

"I see," a serious look took over Halcyon's face, "I'll make haste and leave right away."

"Here are your mission's details," Lauriam handed Halcyon a scroll, where the specifics of the said mission could be written, "and take Sora and Vanitas with you. Regardless of Sora's lack of skills at the moment, they need to get back out there to help combat the Heartless and collect Lux. Halcyon, you're in charge until you deem it wise to let them go on their own."

"Yes, Lauriam," Halcyon responded in a respectful tone. Sora nodded at the Union leader, whereas Vanitas merely flicked his head upwards minutely - the barest sign of acknowledgement.

“On our own?” Sora asked, a little surprised.

“Yes, I assume you’d want to return to your friends’ side as soon as possible,” Lauriam explained, before a thoughtful frown crossed his lips, “or perhaps, I just assumed that, and you actually wanted to stay with us?”

“No! I mean, I do want that, to go back...home...but I just, well...didn’t think you’d let us off the hook that easily.”

“It’s not like we’re abandoning you,” Elrena looked at Sora, “the Dandelions travel from one world to the next, never really staying in one place for too long unless it’s their assigned base world. It just makes sense you’d strike on your own at some point. _To find yourselves_ , so to speak.”

“Forget trusting Sora, _that makes sense_. But me? Really? You actually trust me enough to leave me with Sora without killing him?” Vanitas sneered.

“What you decide to do now is entirely up to you. You make your own choices now. Just as much as you chose the darkness, now you must choose what to do with that choice, and how you fit in with Sora. Like Elrena said, find yourselves," Lauriam answered simply.

Vanitas clicked his tongue and looked away from them. Sora frowned, his expression looking like an overwhelmed child.

“So...I suppose, this is goodbye?” Sora asked, sounding a little sad and unsure.

“Only for now,” Lauriam assured him, “our hearts are with you, and yours with ours. We’ll see each other again, perhaps even sooner than you think.”

“Just don’t die out there like a bunch of losers.” Elrena smirked.

“We’ll be careful,” Sora nodded at her.

“Guess that’s that then,” Halcyon remarked, already taking out an object – a Gate charm, Lauriam acknowledged – and Sora took a glance at Vanitas, who had a pensive look on his face. It looked almost at peace. Contemplative. Maybe even at peace.

Sora hoped he was happy.

The pink-haired man regarded them all with a soft look, a gentle smile on his face. As Halcyon let the Gate charm float in space to summon their means to get to another world, Lauriam bid them a few final words before the light of the Gate took them away from Scala ad Caelum.

"Take care on your journeys. And may hearts be your guiding key."

~

As the last display of lights from the Gate’s portal faded away, Elrena turned to look at Lauriam, who was gazing absently in front of him.

"You seem to be deep in thought," Elrena gave Lauriam a curious look.

"Just thinking too much," Lauriam answered mildly, "Sora just reminds me too much of him."

"Who?"

"Ephemer," Lauriam replied, "he and Vanitas even wore clothes almost close to his. And it's ridiculous, since I didn't really get the chance to know Ephemer all that well before he, Ventus, and Skuld all left to gather Lux for the Union for god knows how many years ago. I'm not...not even sure if he's still alive."

"Probably , probably not; it was hundreds of years ago," Elrena said flippantly, "You do know about the nature of this realm right? Time doesn't run the same pace as it does out there. The fact that Daybreak Town has shifted to become a minor part of Scala ad Caelum is mystery enough."

"It doesn't explain how there are so many aged Dandelions then," Lauriam intoned, "or maybe it does? There wasn't a strict rule that said we couldn't stay in one world for a long time, just that we come back to our Union to rest and interact with each other," Lauriam's eyes widened in realization.

"Unless..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, discussion time!
> 
> The first thing you'd probably notice is the format. That's right: I've written it in a way that tries to give it a feel like it could be an actual game. The skills Sora "learns" are all over the place and are at best pretty random, which I intentionally wrote since Sora didn't really lose his skills, he just forgot them - now he's just remembering his skills and abilities in a random order.
> 
> The first world is Scala ad Caelum. I surprised myself by using this world instead of Daybreak Town, but considering the the fact that the remains of DT's clocktower was submerged under Scala would heavily imply that there was a major world change in the last centuries.
> 
> As for Sora immediately placing Marluxia and Larxene's names, since Sora "lost" his memories, the chain of memories that Namine took apart in CoM took root once more, and that is what Sora is going off on, why he could remember how to fight, and the vague memory of companions (Donald and Goofy). Those excess memories are what's keeping Sora functioning, because if he was a total amnesiac, let's be real, Vanitas would've made quick work with him.
> 
> Lauriam and Elrena were fascinating to write - I wanted to keep Elrena as sassy as Larxene was, just less sadistic and more teasing, and Lauriam was quite fun to write, since his memories returned at the end of KH3 as Marluxia, it was easy to imagine he grew into the role of being a leader. It was challenging to write them in a way that implied they retained their Nobodies' cruelty mixing with their humanity; it was like writing two people into one at the same time.
> 
> My original character Halcyon, to my surprise, played a bigger role than I anticipated, even in the later chapters. If you haven't played the mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Union X, then that is what Halcyon is - he is the player you used in the game, having actively interacted with the Foretellers and the Union leaders. He has his own Chirithy, though he didn't summon it (for safety reasons). Basically, Halcyon is the representation of an "ordinary" Keyblade wielder, since I can't write much about the Dandelions with my limited knowledge.
> 
> One of the challenges in writing the story was coming up with a good theory to tie it all together, so when I came upon reading about the Sleeping World Theory. It definitely gave me a few ideas that I could use to tie the story together, though since I came up with the story before reading it, only key elements of it will be actually used in this fic, alongside with my own theories and plotlines I've planned. 
> 
> It's a pretty good theory - a solid 350 page thesis on Kingdom Hearts 3 and Sora, so go check that out if you haven't.
> 
> Writing Sora and Vanitas was HARD in this chapter. Other than what I had Halcyon explain, I guess it's because I'm trying to write more depth to Sora and Vanitas' characters, since with all the Xehanort nonsense, I felt Sora didn't really get the time to develop personal character development. Give the kid a chance to grow and discover parts of himself that doesn't involve fighting. Dammit Nomura, give Sora some peace haha. Especially Vanitas - and I was rooting for a Sora-Roxas-Ventus-Vanitas showdown in the game and they left Roxas out. I'm definitely fixing that in this fic. Lol.
> 
> Anyways:
> 
> Which world do you think they'll go to in Chapter 2?  
> And in the second part of this chapter, who do you think are the characters I've written together?
> 
> Leave a kudos and a comment below: let's talk!


	3. Interlude I: Brothers and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roxas and Ventus spill the tea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It took me a while, but her comes the second part of Chapter 1. It's essentially become an interlude on it's own, and it's quite lengthy too - longer than I planned it - which was why it took me a while to edit and upload it.
> 
> Again, the art in this chapter has been done by me, hope it helps visualize the story. XD
> 
> Notes are at the end as always. Anyways, here it is: enjoy!

Swift strikes and complex footwork swept across the scattered leaves of the otherwise silent forest. Despite the perpetual dusk that the world stayed in, the woods were brightly lit, their shadows never menacingly dark, but instead almost a companionable contrast to the warm tones the sun set along the forest floor.

What brave little woodland animals stayed at the outskirts of the forest clearing, their attention captivated by the deadly dance of grace and might by the sole warrior banishing the stalwart creatures of darkness.

Extending his arms outward, Roxas twirled Oblivion and Oathkeeper in his hands, building momentum by his movement, before launching himself forwards, twisting his body midair in delicate footwork, before shifting into a solid grip on both Keyblades, striking his target with a brutal two-hit spinning attack, and going for a solid third strike by extending his right Keyblade behind him, connecting with his target right on the mark.

The Heartless never stood a chance.

After the last Heartless Boss was defeated and faded into nothing, Roxas dismissed his Keyblades and proceeded to pick up the multitude of items the Heartless dropped. Most of it were ingredients for Item Construction or Weapon Enhancement, and a few were, strangely enough, edible food.

Roxas walked over to his duffel bag hidden behind a stray bush, hands full of items, and dumped his loot on the floor, sorting through everything and placing each loot in their respective containers in the bag. The blond hated organizing, but after running missions for the Organization before that required careful handling of items ranging from delicate to volatile, he's developed the habit of methodically arranging items he acquires when farming Heartless.

These days the activity is calming, done more out of habit than necessity, and was especially helpful in trying to go down from the adrenaline high of fighting countless enemies. A little bunny, one of the creatures who had wandered to watch the fight, curiously hopped over to Roxas, wiggling its nose at him. Roxas smiled, and indulged the small creature with a nice backrub, before coaxing it back to the woods, and out of danger.

"When I said we needed a little R and R, I didn't have this in mind."

Roxas looked over to the source of the voice, the crunch of dead leaves underfoot drawing closer. Ventus huffed as he took in his look-alike sorting the items on the ground, before kneeling down with him and helping him arrange it. Roxas taught him how to, under Aqua's teasing remark that " _maybe if Ven learned how to organize better, he wouldn't leave so much of a mess in his room._ "

Ven _did_ learn how to organize everything, just not his room. Roxas suspected than Ven did it just to frustrate Aqua - Ven, Roxas learned, could be unexpectedly petty.

"And yet, you're not complaining," Roxas fired back smoothly.

"No. No, I'm not indeed," Ven mumurred to himself.

After loading everything in the bag, the two set off for the town proper, heading over to the Bistro to hand Remy the ingredients. The walk back to the town square was spent with Ven humming a song cheerfully to himself, and Roxas carried around the bag over his shoulder, trying to place the song Ven was humming.

It was the picture of a lazy afternoon, and Roxas couldn't help but close his eyes as he tilted his head back. He didn't notice he had stopped walking until he felt Ven shake him out of thought.

"You okay?" Ven asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine, just thinking," Roxas replied.

"...Sora?"

"Yeah. He would've loved this, just relaxing. He barely got a break with everything happening," Roxas frowned. "It's weird, being the one here and him gone."

"It'll be fine, Roxas. We always find our way back together."

Roxas smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

~

If Roxas was being completely honest, he never would’ve guessed he and Ventus would be friends. It was already difficult at first, establishing himself as a completely different person from Sora, as someone who was himself and not just a fragment of someone else. He really didn’t need another person or group who could give him that conflict and confusion.

There _was_ this brief hella awkward moment when they first saw a glimpse of each other back at the Keyblade Graveyard during the big fight, but since they were fighting for their lives and all, Roxas just brushed it off as some mild case of hallucination of seeing a look-alike person on his part (it wasn't) and put it at the back of his head.

When the war was over, everything started winding down. Then Sora went away to save Kairi, and Roxas took the chance at living in peace to finally get his life together. He moved in to Twilight Town with Axel and Xion, and finally met the real version of his friends from the digital world. Hayner, Pence, and Olette welcomed him like he was an old friend despite not having met before, which should have been strange, but the only thing Roxas felt was that he was _home_.

It was in the middle of one such ordinary afternoon in Twilight Town – near the Old Mansion, to be specific – that his doppelganger sprung up on him.

They had, of course, formally met each other after the War at Yen Sid’s tower, but other than a brief exchange of pleasantries and “ _nice fight”_ and “ _you fight good_ ” and “ _see you again_ ”, there was surprisingly no interaction between them _at all_. It was like the strangeness of having two people look strikingly alike to occupy the same room was so ordinary and acceptable that nobody bothered them about it.

Roxas firmly believes everyone is a little bit insane.

Their non-interaction lasted for a while; at least, until then.

“Hey, it's Roxas right?”

Roxas dismissed his Keyblade from taking care of a few Heartless wandering around the woods near the mansion. Axel and Xion were with Isa, showing him around Twilight Town’s sights after reforming, helping him move in with them, and Roxas chose some alone time to work off some steam.

He liked the rush of battle and adrenaline, the thrill of moving his body in a way he wanted that let his power and sweat flow. It was in the way he felt alive - he wasn't really an adrenaline junkie, but he liked feeling like he existed. He liked being real.

He didn’t exactly expect company during such an exercise, much less Ventus of all people.

“Ventus.”

The other boy chuckled. “Call me Ven. That’s what my friends call me.”

“Already on a nickname basis? Quite the assumption you have of me,” Roxas rolled his eyes, “for all you know I might be an asshole.”

“Nah,” Ven shrugged, “it might have been a short time, but we did occupy Sora’s heart at the same time. You feel familiar, almost like I know you, and that we’re already friends. Don’t you feel the same?”

“No. You're being very weird and I feel very weirded out. It’s been a week since any of us saw each other, what are you doing here?” Roxas asked, crossing his arms together.

“Snuck off from Yen Sid’s place. Terra and Aqua are talking to Riku and the King, but I didn’t really want to stay. I took the train here to see you.”

“To see me.” Roxas repeated flatly.

“Yup!” Ventus said in an obnoxious tone, and flashed him a bright smile, hands behind his head. _Oh god_ , Roxas thought, _not another Sora._

“Not to be rude or anything, but what do you want?” Roxas asked bluntly. Ven pouted at him, before sighing and scratching the back of his head.

“Well...I wanted to talk to someone about Sora. Obviously, Aqua and Terra can’t help me with him, not in the way I need. I wanted to try talking to Naminé, but she’s busy adjusting with Riku, who is another person I do _not_ want to talk to about Sora, and Xion is always busy with Axel,” Ventus explained.

“And dear god, you thought _I_ was your best option,” Roxas scrunched up his face, “you’re an actual, bona fide idiot.”

For some reason, this was apparently the wrong thing to say, because Ven suddenly looked uneasy. It wasn’t obvious, but Roxas knew how to read body language from Axel.

“Well...the real reason is that you were the only one I felt comfortable to seek out about this,” Ventus blurted out, sounding a little defensive on his part, “I know we’re practically strangers who just happen to look somewhat alike, which is strange enough as it is, but you feel...I feel like if it’s you, you would listen to me without talking down to me or giving me confused looks. I feel like you would understand me, impossible as that sounds.

“Because out of everyone? You and I understand Sora’s heart the most. He helped me when I needed it, and he validated your existence and treated you like a real person. Both of us owe Sora our existence, because he took us in and cherished us, even before he even got to know us better. The rest of them...they can’t understand the way we feel and worry about Sora.”

“About how we love him.”

Ven stared at Roxas after he said it. “What? You said it yourself, didn’t you? The two of us do understand each other quite well. Not that it should make sense, but it does. You want someone to talk to who shares the same level of feelings towards Sora, don’t you?”

Roxas took a good look at Ven. Their similarities didn’t just end with their faces; even their clothes had the same color scheme. The only distinct accessory Ven had that Roxas didn’t was his Keyblade armor on his shoulder, which Ven only ever used when fighting the Heartless seriously. He takes in Ven’s guarded stance, his clenched fists at his side, and eyes that refused to meet his at this last statement. Despite the very deliberate way Ven presented himself as a casual teenager, every angle in Ven's body screamed of tension and uncertainty, such familiar body language so obvious to Roxas.

Ven feels lost – Roxas would know. He’s seen that face staring back at him at every reflection he had back then when he was in the Organization.

Roxas dropped his arms to his side and approached Ven. The other boy threw him a hopeful look, but there was a little apprehension there as well, like he was preparing himself in the off chance Roxas rebuffed him. Roxas, contrary to how Riku talked about him, was _not_ an asshole.

“So talk to me.”

And so Ven did.

Since then, Ventus would take unannounced trips to Twilight Town just to hang out with him – sometimes it was a big group, Roxas’ group with Ven’s, but mostly, it was just the two of them. They told stories of all the worlds they’ve been to and the things they did and the people they’ve met.

Mostly though, they talked about Sora, and the numerous hypothetical situations and scenarios they thought Sora would love and hate. They thought of setting up Sora with Kairi on a nice date, and if it doesn’t work out, they’ll pimp him out to Riku; they thought of Keyblade sparring, world hopping, taking part in festivals in the numerous worlds – Chinese New Year in the Land of Dragons, Festival of Fools at the Cite des Cloches, and the numerous summer festivals in Destiny Islands – and even just taking it easy in Twilight Town or Land of Departure, just chilling out.

They were like siblings excitedly waiting for their brother’s return, and Roxas will admit that it feels normal, having Ven in his life like this, despite being complete strangers before.

It's a weird normal he never thought he'd have. He said as much to Axel, who only laughed and said " _our lives are very weird and never normal."_ Roxas agrees with him.

He’s learned a lot about Ven in the time he’s gotten to know him. They've had countless sparring matches, and with approval from Aqua - _that's Master Aqua, Roxas,_ Ven reminded him - Ven started teaching Roxas how to use a Keyblade armor. Now he has a small armor piece on his shoulder like Ven, only his is on the right side, and his armor is silver and obsidian with gold accents. Xion told him that it's pretty badass.

Then, close to two months since the fight with Xehanort concluded, Kairi returned and Sora didn’t, and it was like everything shifted again. Riku and Aqua started training together more. King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were almost always at Yen Sid’s tower, using the Gummiship to travel in between worlds, from Garden to the Islands, to even the Land of Departure. Everyone started to change, but the biggest change, Roxas noticed, was from Ven, Xion, Naminé, and himself.

Xion and Naminé have taken to shadow Kairi as much as they could while giving her space, but Roxas could tell how Xion appeared distracted these days, and Naminé seemed to always be deep in thought. Her drawings have vastly improved from crayon drawings to refined color pencil sketches, but some drawings were more vague and impossible to understand, scenes that none of them were a part of, drawings which the girl smiled sadly and replied " _I don't know"_ when asked when and why she drew them.

As for him, he felt an empty space in his heart. He became prone to getting lost in thoughts when he was alone, his mind always drifting to Sora. Roxas could feel his heart aching for the space beside him where he feels Sora should be. Some mornings he wakes up and wonders how Sora's doing wherever he is, and ends up spending the rest of the morning brooding about it until either Axel or Xion snap him out of it. He's frustrated at losing Sora - a feeling he shares with Kairi - and though both of them have different feelings towards Sora, they both feel a little helpless at not being able to do anything more for the boy who's saved them countless times.

Ven was more subtle in his change - Roxas almost missed it. It was in the way Ven was suddenly on his guard subtly when around Aqua and Terra, and how it felt like Ven was always second guessing the words coming out of his mouth. It was weird for Ven – someone honest and open to suddenly be so secretive – that his sudden change in behaviour was so noticeable to Roxas.

When he asked Ven about it, he merely smiled weakly and chuckled. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day,” Ven replied. Roxas knew it was an empty promise, but he told Ven he’d hold him to it. Roxas would find out what Ven was hiding eventually.

Since Kairi's return, Roxas established three important facts about Ven:

One, he wasn't as carelessly naive as Sora is.

Two, Ven had a lot of secrets not even Terra and Aqua know of.

And three, the secrets Ven knew were about what was clearly going to happen next, and he wasn't telling anyone anything.

~

Twilight Town looked as impressively cozy as it always had. Whether it was the digital world or the real world, Roxas could never tire of Twilight's crisp always-autumn air, the shadows that framed structures to appear bigger than they actually were, and the environment that spoke of familiarity, these streets he knows like the back of his hand. Maybe it's because this was the world he first appeared in when Xemnas found him, or maybe because it was the world he, Xion, and Axel spent the most time in, but if he could name a world he considered his home world, then Twilight Town was his.

After dropping off the ingredients at the Le Grande Bistro and helping Remy cook, the two of them made their way back to their shared apartment - a small, quaint three-storey Tudor-style rowhouse near the town's center - to finally wind down from the day. It had been a whole day of farming Heartless for ingredients, and Roxas was tired. Roxas jogged up the stairs to his room to quickly change into more casual clothing, opting for sweatpants and a loose shirt, before dashing off to the kitchen to boil some water. By the time Ven came down from Terra and his shared room wearing similar clothes to Roxas, he had finished brewing two steaming mugs of tea for them.

Fun fact: Roxas didn't care much for tea - he was a coffee person, he's discovered - but tea with Ventus was a relaxing affair, lazily swapping stories and sharing desserts they got from the Bistro. The other boy didn't care much for tea either, but breaks from training with Master Eraqus years before had endeared Ven to the idea of tea after a tiring day, and so despite both boys not really liking it, they decide to drink it anyway to unwind when they can.

There's something funny in that, Roxas realized, but doesn't dwell on it.

The two of them congregated by the kitchen counter, where the natural sunlight from Twilight's perpetually setting sun went through the windows, bathing the kitchen in a warm golden hue. They left most of the ground floor's lights off, preferring to bask in the moment of stillness they had.

It's strange, Roxas thinks, how comfortable he's grown with Ven. But then again, he's always shared the space in Sora's heart with him, even before he came to be. It made sense if they both felt incredibly comfortable around each other - it made Roxas smile at the memory of Aqua referring to them as twins.

"Ven!"

A small voice called out from the staircase. Ven's Chirithy came trotting over to them, Ven chuckling and opening his arms to catch the Spirit who threw itself into Ven's torso. The blond boy clutched Chirithy in one arm, his other hand holding his mug of tea.

"Oh! Hi Roxas!" Chirithy greeted him.

"Hello Chirithy. Ven summoned you?"

"Yeah, just now, when you both got home. Is it just us three today?"

"Is it ever more than the three of us when you're here?" Chirithy and Ven chuckled at Roxas' dry tone.

"It's strange how you never show your Chirithy to anyone else."

"Sora has his Meow Wow, and I have my Chirithy. Nothing strange about that. Also, Terra and Aqua have seen Chirithy so that's more than you just seeing him," Ven replied.

"Terra and Aqua have seen it once, asked you about it, and then you gave them a half-assed answer about a Link summon," Roxas shot back at him over his own mug of tea.

The first time Roxas saw Chirithy was a week after that first conversation they had. It was after the Keyblade wielders bought their narrow three-storey apartment as their base in Twilight Town. The two of them had gone out to look for ingredients for Remy to cook with by the Old Mansion, picking up apples, berries, and pumpkins that grew around the area.

Ven had summoned Chirithy to help them collect ingredients and fight Heartless, and when Roxas asked him about it, Ven simply shrugged, saying Chirithy was an old friend that was finally back at his side. He did so without much ceremony that Roxas brushed it aside, expecting that everyone else knew about it already.

When they all did meet up again, he discovered it was the opposite - he was the only one who knew that Ventus consistently summoned Chirithy for casual company outside of battle. They didn't even know Chirithy could talk.

It was just one secret; innocuous enough on its own, but Ven's behavior towards the topic when it came up was just downright telling he was hiding something bigger - everyone else worrying about Sora just made it easier for him to fly under suspicion.

"Can I be honest with you Ven?" Roxas asked.

Ven and Chirithy threw him curious looks. "Of course," he replied, "always."

"I don't feel like I can trust you." Ven visibly flinched at Roxas' words.

"Let me level you with this Ven: in the months we've know each other, I can tell there's something you're keeping from everyone. Other than the fact you feel comfortable around me, I don't know why you chose to not open up this much to anyone else. You feel comfortable having Chirithy around me. You let me touch your things, even that strange rulebook-like thing you don't even let Terra see. You even tell me about all these worlds and stories that sound old, like they're from another era, but I can tell you actually _lived_ those stories and aren't just retelling them. You're just...what is it that you know Ven? When will you be ready to tell anyone?" Ven merely gave him a side look.

Okay, so here's the tea: Ventus? Is the shadiest motherfucker Roxas has ever met amongst the Keyblade wielders. While he's still the cheerful and sometimes whimsical part of his own trio, Roxas knows another side of the truth: Ven is a walking sack of secrets. For some reason, Ven has acquired knowledge of something troubling by whatever means, and he's not sharing it. Instead, he masks it all by playing the part of the happy-go-lucky guy everyone's learned to love, all the while Roxas could tell something heavy was weighing in on the blond's mind.

Xion and Naminé have even mentioned their concern about it to Roxas at some point.

_"I get the feeling Ven's been off recently. The two of you are mostly attached at the hip these days, has he said anything?"_

_"Roxas, watch Ven closely. I can tell he's troubled by something, but I don't know the cause for it. I have a feeling if it's you, he'll open up to you. More than Aqua and Terra, Ven feels closer to you and Sora these days, but with Sora gone, you're all he has. So please Roxas, look after him."_

It wasn't like Ven was being intentionally dishonest about it, but Ven deflects conversations that involve Sora, his Chirithy, and strangely enough, the topic of Sleeping Worlds. Although he answers questions about his past, his answers of " _I grew up with Aqua and Terra after getting away from Xehanort_ " feel somewhat false and incomplete, like he's hiding something more. Roxas doesn't know what to think, and he wonders how nobody has caught on to Ven's aversion of said topics.

"Has it ever occured to you that maybe _you_ are the ones not ready to know what I do?" Ven returned to him. The hand holding Chirithy absently caressed its head, while the other brought his tea to his lips for another sip. "Despite how Aqua and Terra like playing the part of my parents, I'm not a child. I'm just as mature as any of you are. I'm not some naive child."

Oh, Roxas knows very well about that.

"I know. Surviving a war doesn't exactly let us hold on to much of a childhood," Roxas replied. "Especially for us former Nobodies; we don't have much of what you'd call a childhood much less a life spent as a child."

"That's not really what I meant," Ven sighed, before setting his mug down on the counter and lifting up Chirithy to his eye level. "Any messages from anyone?"

"There aren't any. But I can feel the others stirring; things are happening to say the least, but I can't be certain if it's good or bad. The borders between wake and sleep are even more distorted these days," Ven groaned in an irritated manner, which surprised Roxas. He knows that there were few things Ven got frustrated over, but whatever it was between him and his Chirithy, it must've been no small thing like a lack of updates from somewhere.

Ven looked hesitant for a moment, his eyes flitting for a brief second to Roxas. He bit his lip, looking utterly conflicted. Roxas got the hunch that Ven wanted to ask Chirithy something he didn't want anyone to hear.

"Should I just give you two a second or-"

"Chirithy, tell me where Sora is."

Roxas almost dropped his mug right then and there. What... the actual _fuck?_

Chirithy spared Roxas a thoughtful look before answering. "He's back in that place, the place we used to call Daybreak Town, but is now called by another name. He's safe, but in a way, he's also not."

"Scala ad Caelum," Ventus muttered. His Chirithy nodded. "Chirithy, do you think...?"

It shook its head. "Oh Ventus, no, I wouldn't recommend it. You're in this realm now - the fact the two of us have been reunited here in the Waking Realm is a mystery enough - and I think it's for a good reason. Before Xehanort found you, the three of you set out to fulfil your mission to gather Lux and resources. Now, I think your mission has become something else."

"I was afraid of that," Ven wore a stricken expression.

"I think that boy called Riku could do it. He's done it before, travelling that Realm, though only his heart did as he had left his body here." Ven looked seriously at Chirithy. "Well, assuming, of course, that he knows _that_ is where he needs to look for Sora."

"There's no need to inform him of such details. Even if we did, how do we explain how we came across such information? No, it'll reveal too much. I can't - I can't tell anyone yet."

"And yet, you're willingly having this cryptically informative conversation in front of me."

Ven and Chirithy turned to look at Roxas, who was staring at them with a look between surprise, horror, and curiosity, his eyes glowing bright blue in the warm glow of the kitchen.

"Ven, Chirithy, where exactly is Scala ad Caelum?" Roxas asked.

The blond just hugged his Chirithy closer to him, before throwing him a melancholic smile.

"Some place within reach, but farther than the horizon. It used to be home - my home - but it was...never really a real world. Now, it's just become the ruins of a bigger world, slumbering and waiting for it to wake up. Anyway, as it stands, apparently only Riku has a solid chance of reaching him in that world this time."

"You think we're incapable of saving Sora?"

"Technically, you and I could," Ventus began, "you've manifested in that realm while you were still in Sora's heart, and I'm quite accustomed to that place, but I don't think we could Wake up easily, if we ever made the trip. As for the rest - it'd be too dangerous; none of them have experience in that realm. The times and worlds have changed, and I suspect that place and those worlds, despite their being trapped frozen in time in that realm, _are_ changing as well. Roxas," the blond gave him a troubled look, "we can't go out and look for Sora. If Riku can't find him, then he must be the one to find his way back to us."

"And even if Riku did go to Scala, there's no assurance that Sora hasn't already left that world. _That_ realm is just as big, if not bigger, than this world universe we're on," Chirithy added, “he might’ve gone world hopping as well.”

"Ventus," Roxas placed his mug on the counter, before giving Ven a serious expression. "What exactly is your Chirithy? What do you mean by _that_ realm? What do you know? _Who are you really?_ "

For a brief second, a haunted look crossed Ven's face. He looked impossibly older than he could've possibly been, an aura of melancholy that feels like ages assaulted him - it shouldn't be possible how someone so young could feel so aged.

As quick as it crossed his face, a curious look replaced it, his eyes gleaming with resolve. Before Roxas could ask any further questions, Ventus opened his mouth to speak.

"I suppose I should come clean to you. You deserve to know the truth, after tolerating my strange behavior and not questioning it. I've initially thought I could tell Terra or Aqua but... yeah, it has to be you. I think out of everyone, you would work the best with me on this."

"So tell me."

Ven smiled at him and took a deep breath, and, with a tone in his voice that spoke of ages in between, he started:

"Once upon a time, in the age of fairy tales..."

 

~

_“Riku.”_

_The silver-haired teen turned around to the sound of his name being called. The source of the voice was leaning against the door frame of his childhood home, arms crossed and his face an intense expression. There was a time such an expression would lead to a direct confrontation between the two of them, but these days, it was directed at him more out of genuine concern rather than conflict._

_“Roxas.”_

_“Where do you think you’re going?” the boy addressed pushed himself away from the door and strode to him, stopping a few feet away. “That’s quite the pack you’re taking with you.”_

_“You know where I’m going.”_

_“I don’t. I don’t know where the hell you’re going. But I do know what you’re trying to accomplish.”_

_Riku avoided looking at Roxas. “I’m going to bring Sora back.”_

~

Dinner at their place in Destiny Islands was a pretty big feast, considering how many people were at the table. It was filled with laughter and teasing, and general discussion about the current worlds’ affairs. Kairi didn’t stay for too after though, quietly excusing herself to be followed by Xion, and Isa. Terra and Axel were assigned on kitchen duty, while Isa left to retire to his room after today’s training with Aqua.

Roxas watched Riku approach Aqua and Mickey after dinner, as the rest of them cleared the table and washed the dishes. He couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but he could tell the conversation wasn’t going so smoothly, if Mickey’s expression was any indication. Unlike him with his recent training with Ven, Riku had no experience with using the Keyblade armor or glider, and the fact that Riku can’t use the Corridors or the Gummi ship to travel worlds must be pressing Riku into a tight spot.

He kind of realizes too late what Riku was hussled into earlier in their conversation.

Roxas turned around to look at Ven and Naminé on his left side, the latter wiping the table clean and the former putting away leftover dessert back in the freezer.

“You do realize that Mickey and Aqua aren’t enough to deter Riku from leaving tonight, right?” he spoke in a low voice. Naminé merely gave him a side glance.

“Of course we can’t stop Riku,” the blonde girl replied, “but it’ll at least caution him from doing anything reckless for the time being.”

“I’m surprised you’re genuinely concerned about Riku, Roxy. It’s cute,” Ven teased.

“Fuck off, I don’t like the guy all too much but we’re on the same side. I’d be a jerk if I didn’t at least care about his general well-being,” Roxas replied hotly.

“Now, now,” Naminé appeased to them both, “Riku and Kairi are having a hard time as it is with Sora’s absence. At least Kairi has Xion and me, but Riku’s always been so independent.”

“Don’t talk as if Riku doesn’t talk to you,” Roxas raised an eyebrow at her, “I’m sure your late night walks by the beach haven’t gone unnoticed to anyone.”

Naminé actually blushed a little at that, but looked still looked unflustered. “Stalking me and Riku now, are we? My, my, Roxy, how unbecoming of you.”

Ven just snickered at him.

 _Fucking Ven_ – ever since that blond look-alike of his gave him that nickname, Roxas’ immediate circle of friends decided to call him that as well to tease him. At least Xion has the mercy of still calling him by his name most of the time. Axel is insufferable about it, and Naminé? For a girl he thought to be meek and quiet, a great amount of savagery laid dormant in her. Placing her in the same room as Ven, Axel, and Kairi was a degree of social murder he did not want to subject himself to.

Still, Roxas knows that Ven hasn’t told Naminé anything yet – at least, nothing substantial – and he waits for Naminé to move over to the kitchen to help Terra with the dishes, since apparently Axel has played hooky to go with Kairi and Xion after dinner.

It actually wouldn't surprise Roxas if Naminé was in the know - being a Nobody that held power over the memories of those close to Sora's heart, it would make sense if she had somehow already glimpsed into Ven's long-dormant memories and just didn't tell anyone either. It would somehow explain the unfamiliar pictures she's drawn, if those scenes were from another time and another life Ven led before.

Roxas resolved himself to getting him, Ven, Naminé, and even Xion to talk about it soon.

When it’s just the two of them standing vacantly by the dining table, shooting looks at Riku, Aqua and Mickey talking quietly by the living room, Roxas shot Ven a quietly scolding look, which the other boy returned with a wince and an apologetic face.

“What are you planning?” he asked, tone suspicious.

“I wish I knew,” Ven replied quietly after a beat, voice low enough for only the two of them to hear, “but I have nothing. I’m just trying to keep everyone safe. All I know is things are starting again, and we can’t face it without Sora beside us.”

“We’ll find him. Or Riku will. Or in the absurd chance that all of us are actually incapable of it, Sora will find his way back to us. He always does, doesn’t he?” Roxas placed his hand on Ven’s shoulder.

"You make it sound as if Sora is the basis of what's possible and what's not," Ven snorted.

"And yet our faith in him refuses to waver," Roxas answered levelly, "he'll wake up. And he'll be back with us, safe and sound. Though it'd be funny if Riku got himself in trouble with his search for him, and Sora ends up saving the day." Roxas and Ven snicker at the thought. "Light, let it happen. I'd pay good munny for it."

Ven laughed softy and smiled at him. “Yeah, you’re right.” Ven took his right hand and placed it over his heart. For a brief second, Roxas could feel a familiar tugging within him, like a call, and he absently does the same.

“Come back to us safely, Sora.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was...actually quite a lot. This chapter focused mainly on Ven and Roxas' relationship and how they connected, as well as giving us a slight idea of how Naminé and Xion fit into their dynamic. It even indirectly tells us of how the other characters are holding up. Anyways, so Roxas and Ven.
> 
> I've always loved the idea of all five of them being siblings: Sora, Roxas, Xion, Ven, and Vanitas, with Naminé as the special outlier that sort of belongs with them. Originally, this chapter was meant to be a crack take on how I saw Roxas and Ven. Roxas was the serious, angsty, softie while Ven was the whimsical clown of the group. However, as I wrote it, I began having problems writing Ven in that context.
> 
> Ven was written in a way that set his character to be in internal conflict - the Ven from BBS and Ven from KHUX are so different from each other in terms of era and how they interacted with friends. The Ven from KHUX couldn't help envy Skuld and Ephemer's close friendship since he didn't have that, while Ven from BBS finally found that friendship in Aqua and Terra. Ven essentially lived a long life at this point, with no explanation *how*, which I will attempt to explain in the latter chapters/interludes. Anyways, because of this, Ven found it hard to keep being the person Aqua and Terra knew him, not when he knows everything that went on back then: the Foretellers, the Union, and the first Keyblade War.
> 
> And because of reasons stated in the story, the only person Ven found comfortable enough to let loose was around Roxas.
> 
> Writing Roxas was satisfying - he was the realist amongst them, and also the smartest. He's somehow people savvy too, like Sora; whereas Sora could connect with people easily, Roxas could read people easily from body language and tone of voice. Aside from Kairi and Riku, I felt that Roxas would be one of the most affected by Sora's loss, mainly because now their situations were reversed: Roxas is now the one in active existence, and Sora is debatably dead/lost in their perspective. Ever since KH2 and KHDDD, I've always felt like Roxas and Sora carried the most sibling-type kind of vibe, and it just made sense that Roxas wouldn't really shy away from saying he loves Sora, since after everything they've goe through, they really are kinda like brothers now.
> 
> Naminé definitely knows something, and I'll write her with Xion and another character in the next interlude. As for Xion, having been formed from Sora's memories of Kairi, I wrote her to gravitate more towards Kairi for comfort because a part of her contained Sora's perpetual concern for her, while Naminé treaded in the middle. The girls are obviously a lot better and more subtle in hiding their changes than Roxas and Ven did, and that's why I didn't write them to take much role in this interlude.
> 
> Ven's conflict and Roxas' resolve to convince Ven to open up to everyone about his - now their - secret is only the introduction to what comes next, and what that means for Sora and Vanitas is up for you guys to find out.
> 
> Anyways, since I'm busy with work, it might take me a few weeks (maybe even a month) before I get the next major chapter uploaded. It isn't as long as the first chapter, but I do want to hammer down some loose plot points in it so that it makes sense. Haha. 
> 
> So, question time: Who do you think Ven and Roxas tell the secret to first, other than Naminé and Xion? And who do you think Naminé and Xion interact with in the next interlude? (Clue: it's not Riku)
> 
> Leave a kudos and let's talk!


	4. Chapter 2 - Where fears and lies melt away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas go on a chaperoned field trip. Oh, and more Dandelions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, what's up? Sorry that it took me so long to upload since I had to edit some parts of the chapter to make things clearer for later chapters, and I was deciding if I should combine a major chapter and an interlude in one update. When I did a word count though, this chapter cost me 9k+ words already, so I suppose I'll upload the interlude as a separate chapter like the one with Ven and Roxas. Also, the internet service at our place went out, and I had to look for a stable place with internet to make an upload.
> 
> SO. That aside, here's the next chapter featuring Sora, Vanitas, Halcyon (my OC) and a familiar world. This chapter also comes with art I did myself (and god did I procrastinate on it so much)
> 
> Notes at the end of the chapter as always, so without further ado, here's chapter 2!

_"Riku was possessed by the darkness, acting as Maleficent's pawn, and ultimately, the lackey of Xehanort's heartless named Ansem."_

_"We used Naminé to manipulate your memories in a place called Castle Oblivion, where you first met our Nobodies, Marluxia and Larxene. That is where we met our defeat, and where our knowledge of your journey ended for a while."_

_"You travelled the worlds to find a way to bring Roxas, your Nobody, back to being his own person, and in the process, gathered all seven warriors of Light to fight Xehanort's thirteen vessels of Darkness."_

_"Then, for whatever reason we didn't get to witness, you died, and found yourself in the world of Shibuya to play at getting a second chance at life."_

_"And now, by either divine intervention or dumb luck, you're here."_

~

The familiar cobblestone streets and iron lamps framed Sora's vision. The sky was as dark as ever, the scant light of a few stars – the brilliant shine of distant worlds – peppering the night sky. Sora knew he had been to this world before - the overflowing familiar burst of emotion tugging at his heart was impossible to ignore.

"Where...where are we?"

"Traverse Town. You've been here before, many times on your journeys, remember?"

To his right, Vanitas sounded almost casual, if not for the sneer on his lips as he looked over at Sora. Vanitas made quite the sight; he was now wearing his jacket properly and wearing his scarf a little more loosely like Sora. Aside from the minor differences of their clothing, the two of them looked quite identical. Sora wondered briefly how they appeared to the casual bystander.

And no, Sora did not remember. Although...

"It feels like it," Sora muttered.

The Dandelion that came with them, Halcyon, raised his head to look at the night sky.

"This world is closer to the darkness than most - I'd say it's come the closest it could without being swallowed up by the darkness. This world's balance lies in the fact that it's a composite world, made up of the loose pieces of light from the worlds that fell to the darkness. What's more, Traverse Town can only be accessible to people who need this world. It's essentially a shelter for those with nowhere else to go; ever-changing to fit the requirements of those who inhabit it," the Dandelion said.

 

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

**TRAVERSE TOWN**

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

 

Sora felt a feeling of fondness well within him. This world was special to him, he was sure.

"Well, that's good and all to know," Vanitas began, "but what the fuck exactly are we doing here again?"

"There are two reasons," Halcyon stated, holding up two fingers, "the first reason is to defeat Heartless to free hearts that fell to the darkness. Then, to collect Lux from said Heartless, in order to strengthen the power of Light. Before, gathering  Lux served as gathering power for the unions we joined under. But, well, then the Foretellers disappeared and the new leaders took over, and they decided to keep Union X without the division. Then things fell apart again for a long time, so gathering Lux for the Dandelions meant increasing the power that can be harnessed by our Keyblades instead.

"The second and main reason is what Lauriam assigned us to do: so that we could check in on the Dandelions assigned to this place, since a few other Dandelions have been concerned, saying their Chirithy can't communicate with those in this world."

Sora wanted to ask what a Chirithy was, but opted to ask something else on his mind instead.

"Why do I get the feeling there’s another reason?" Sora asked, sounding a little skeptical.

Halcyon hesitated for a beat before finally answering. "Ah, well it's just my conjecture from what he said, but uh, the "third" reason is that I think Lauriam thought this world was the best place for the two of you to learn how to get along."

Sora looked surprised. Vanitas looked affronted.

"What the fuck do you mean? We get along just fine now! We even beat your sorry asses back in Scala!" Vanitas shot back, sounding annoyed. Sora remembered how Vanitas practically lunged at him the moment they met at Scala Ad Caelum, and the consequent fights that broke out between them since. And technically, it was a sparring match that the three older Dandelions took it easy against them. Sora was about to point out their squabbles, but Halcyon beat him to it.

"Despite our little spar, you and Sora have done nothing but _fight_ each other back in Scala ad Caelum. Sora," the older male looked in his direction, a disappointed expression on his face, "you're easily riled up and you're too eager to fight Vanitas whenever he baits you, and _you,_ " Halcyon levels a glare at Vanitas, who looked absolutely unapologetic, "you need to tone the baiting and violence down just a bit."

"He needs to turn down the violence, period," Sora muttered.

Vanitas threw the older male a look, "It's just our natures to be confrontational. He's the light to my darkness – I am much of Sora's responsibility as Ventus. They both have a solid connection with me. We communicate better with our blades than with words."

"Then you have to channel those confrontational urges away from each other and direct it towards fighting together instead," Halcyon replied, "you may be a being of darkness, but the fact that you wield a Keyblade means there's a little light inside you, even if it's just a spark. After all, the Keyblade responds to those with strong hearts, and strong hearts are made of both light and dark.

"So for now, Vanitas, you take over Sora's training. Use words as much as actions. Teach Sora some basic fighting moves, then we'll go farm some Lux for the moment. Or if you're not feeling it, we could just go around and farm Lux for now. Sora can adjust accordingly later on," the older Keyblade wielder finished.

Sora looked away from Halcyon and towards Vanitas, who was already giving him a thoughtful look. It was strange, Sora couldn't stop thinking it, how looking at Vanitas was like looking at his reflection, albeit a darker one. Despite the obvious differences, part of Sora couldn't find himself to be repulsed by the other boy. He felt their connection; it was barely felt, but it was there all the same. Sora couldn't help but wonder if he could've become someone like Vanitas if things were different.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him, as if he managed to read his mind.

"Fine. We'll do Sora's training now." Vanitas acquiesced, his own Keyblade materializing in his hand a second later. He held his Keyblade at arm’s level, showing Sora its profile before pointing at him, Vanitas leaning his body into a lazy battle stance.

"My Keyblade's name is called Void Gear. Xehanort once told me it's a specific Keyblade that draws power from the darkness instead of the light. It's the opposite of yours which, obviously, uses the power of light.

"Go on, Sora. Summon your Keyblade."

The tone of voice Vanitas used was devoid of emotion, not even a hint of teasing or baiting, that Sora hesitated a bit before calling his own weapon before him. His own Keyblade gleamed in his hand, the yellow handle forming a frame to hold the blunt silver extension of his Keyblade. Sora felt the Keyblade settle familiarly in his grip, not just like the times he used it in Scala Ad Caelum, but almost as if he's handled the weapon for a long time.

His body moved into a battle stance before he realized it, his muscle memory doing the remembering for him.

"Eh, pretty basic form. Clearly you know how to fight when pressed based on our earlier fights, but let's see how you do in an actual spar," Vanitas commented, before breaking into his own battle stance and charging at him.

~

_TUTORIAL_

_BATTLE COMMENCING_

_Sora VS. Vanitas_

_BATTLE START!_

_*********************_

_BATTLE END!_

_LEARNED Block!_

_LEARNED Falling Slash!_

_LEARNED High Jump!_

_LEARNED Dodge Roll!_

_LEARNED Water!_

_LEARNED Thunder!_

~

Sora... did pretty well enough.

"Your strikes and forms are good enough, better than what you started with at Scala, but your magic casting is still shit. I suppose it's one thing if your body remembers how and when to move, but another thing to remember actual spells. You can't even do summons."

Sora wipes the seat dripping down his brow as he pants from the exertion. His Keyblade dematerialized, his hands resting on his knees as he caught his breath. Vanitas, on the other hand, didn't look like he even broke a sweat despite breathing a little harder than normal, still standing lazily as a loose Unversed flitted casually between his legs. The dark-clad teen snapped his fingers and dismissed the Unversed before walking closer to Sora.

"You'll do fine. At the very least, you won't get yourself accidentally killed facing Heartless," Vanitas sneered as Sora glared at him.

"There wasn't a need to go so hard on him, but I suppose it was necessary in a way," Halcyon intoned, walking towards them as well, "ready to face some Heartless?"

Sora perked up and beamed at the older male.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

~

_QUEST: Explore Traverse Town and look for residents. Defeat the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_126 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_30% Traverse Town MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

The more Sora wandered Traverse Town, the more he felt a weird sense of belonging. He couldn't remember much of what Lauriam told him of this town's relation to him, but he could feel in his heart that he made quite the fondest memories in this place.

"Getting lost in memory lane?"

Sora turned around to see Halcyon smiling at him, hands in his pockets. "It's okay, I understand. From what Lauriam said, this must be the first world you found yourself in when your world first collapsed."

A sharp memory came back to him - Sora's breath hitched but nonetheless kept going like nothing happened.

"Yeah. This...this was where I first summoned my Keyblade, and where I met Donald and Goofy." He could see it now, the court mage and head of knights piling on top of him, meeting Leon and Yuffie, Aerith and Cid. This was where his first real fight with the Heartless began.

"You remembered?"

"Just now I did," Sora murmured, "I wonder if I stay here long enough, I'd get my memories back."

"Probably not," Halcyon mused, "you don't have a terrible problem remembering earlier memories it seems, but anything connected with your Keyblade War is a bit harder to recall. My guess is that your memory loss was brought about when you were sent to Scala ad Caelum to be a Dandelion. That's how it was for us - the Keyblade wielders who became Dandelions before and after the War had been swiped of their memories of it, in order to minimize trauma and psychological problems. Of course, no such spell could be a permanent fix, so the memories trickled back in slowly, one painful fragment of memory at a time."

"So you lost your memories too?" Sora asked, curious.

"At some point, yeah, I lived a life where all I knew was being a Dandelion," Halcyon replied, "sometimes I wished I didn't remember what I do, but then I am reminded that it is because of these painful memories that I struggle to fight as hard I do for peace."

Halcyon turned to face Sora properly. "You will get all your memories eventually. At the end of your journey, you will be presented with everything you need that paints the bigger picture. And at that end, you must make your choice."

"What choice do I have to make?" Sora asked curiously.

"That, Sora, is something you have to see for yourself."

"You really believe I was sent to your world to be one of you guys? A Dandelion?" Sora asked.

Halcyon smiled. "Of course! You got the makings of a great Keyblade wielder – you already are! And well," the older male faltered a bit, "I think Vanitas could be one too."

Sora cocked his head to the side, his hands to his chin in a pensive expression. "Really? You don't think he's kinda violent though? Pretty dark too, personality-wise..."

"Well, yeah, at first, but not _anymore_. Huh, I had thought you'd be the first to lobby his being one of us, since you tried so hard to be his friend," Halcyon replied, amused.

"Only because I barely knew who everyone was and what was happening!"

"That still hasn't changed."

Sora's shoulders dropped. "Yeah..."

"But...?" Halcyon prompted him.

"I guess now I'm having secondary running thoughts about him. I mean, I still think he could be a good guy despite the darkness thing, and I know I said that I want to give it a shot about being allies, but knowing what I do now – the things he did, it’s just...it’s got me a little conflicted."

“Conflict will always exist where there are two sides fighting for balance. What resolves conflicts is not victory over one side, but learning to compromise. To learn how to give and take, both in equal measure. I think you should keep doing what you're trying with him. It kinda worked before right? When he told you about his relation to Ventus himself in Scala, even before Lauriam told you about it. He's opening up to you, even if a little, especially after that afternoon you went to find him. And I think you made your biggest point about treating him as if he was a real person. After all, even after knowing what he was from Lauriam, you still stood your stance and looked for him, and brought him to our side."

"He is a real person! A good one even! Just...he's really rough.” Sora defended the dark-haired boy. “...You really think I can get through to him?"

Halcyon turned his head to their right, prompting Sora to look at Vanitas a few meters ahead of them. He was leaning on a lamp post with a distant look in his eyes, the picture perfect example of casual teenage indifference. A few _Flood_ Unversed skittered into alleys and returned to his side, reporting of activity, or lack thereof. His pale skin and gold eyes stood out from his dark ensemble.

He looked sharp and strong – almost dignified. Sora wondered if he looked like that under the lamp’s light, if he looked as powerful as Vanitas did.

He hoped he did. Maybe not as fearsome, but just as strong. Reliable.

“You already do. I feel your heart is in the right place,” Halcyon comforted Sora, “so don’t lose hope. You guys make a great team, despite how rough you two fight together.”

“Gee, thanks,” Sora chuckled, “I could’ve done without that last bit.”

Halcyon laughed. “It’s a work in progress.”

~

It took them a few rounds around the streets before something did happen.

"Halcyon!"

A voice echoed out in the streets. The three of them are automatically on their guards, Keyblades in hand. A figure stumbled a few meters away from them, their gait limping and obviously in pain. Sora heard Halcyon gasp from beside him.

"Mira?"

As the figure ambled closer, it became easier to make her out. "It's you!" the figure exclaimed. Halcyon's face immediately slacked in recognition and worry, breaking into a quick run to intercept the girl as she ambled towards them.

"Mira! Are you okay? This world's overrun with Heartless, where are the others?"

Sora felt his heart go out to the girl who fell into Halcyon's arms when they met. She looked exhausted beyond compare, and seemed ready to pass out at any second.

"They've fallen. I've had to suppress their Nightmares, but... I'm reaching my limit soon. Please, help me defeat them."

"Reaching your limit? You're way past your limit! _CURAGA!"_ The bright green glow of the healing spell enveloped them, healing the fallen wielder's body almost immediately. Halcyon wrapped his arms around Mira and brought her lower. Sora worried in the background as Vanitas kept a bit of a distance.

"Rest for now Mira. Then you can tell us what happened after." Halcyon turned to look at Sora and Vanitas.

"Sora -"

"We got you. We'll stand guard."

Halcyon hoisted Mira into his arms, before nodding at them and turning away, looking for a place for them to rest. Halcyon was a few feet away before Vanitas turned to Sora and looked at him with surprise on his face.

“Did you just pimp us out to be his bodyguards?” Vanitas asked him incredulously.

“Don’t be a bitch and just help,” Sora shot back in a tired, deadpan tone, and upon realizing what he said, his eyes bugged out and he put his hands on his mouth in mortification.

“My, my,” Vanitas chuckled darkly, “someone’s been learning the language. Well, since you’ve been so accommodating to speak in my terms of negotiation, fine, I’ll help out. Just this once.”

~

_QUEST: Defend Mira and Halcyon. Clear all Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_236 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_67% Traverse Town MAP CLEARED_

_LEARNED NEW ABILITIES_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

After finding a free area to rest in, Halcyon and Mira occupied a bench for the girl to lie down and sleep. Sora and Vanitas stood guard close by, taking on the Heartless that came close. Currently, they were patrolling a few meters away from Halcyon and a now awake Mira, the past hour spent with Halcyon casting high level Cure spells and using potions to heal Mira's overworked body.

So far, no Heartless have found their way to disturb them, and all Sora was left with was silence. Which was strange, considering the company he had. Sora snuck a glance at Vanitas who was a couple of feet away from him, Keyblade in hand, his face focused into an intense look of consternation at the weapon before him.

At first, Sora had thought Vanitas to be incapable of being civil – granted, this behavior of keeping to himself doesn't exactly make him civil, but rather just tolerable – and combined with what he says he is and the way he addressed people, he wasn't exactly having a very nice opinion of the guy. Still, this stoic and quiet version of Vanitas was just as unnerving, if not more.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer."

"Can't, you broke my Gummiphone, remember?" Sora remarked drily.

Vanitas rolled his eyes, "Whatever you want to say, just say it."

 _I have a few things to say to you_ , Sora remembered his words. There was a lot, but this wasn't the time for it. Instead, he asked something else.

"What's wrong with your Keyblade?"

Vanitas frown at him. "What makes you think there's something wrong with it?"

"You've been staring at your Keyblade for a bit back when we were fighting, even in Scala, and you have this look on your face that Riku sometimes gets when he's thinking of something."

All of a sudden, Sora's head feels dizzy. _Silver hair. Tall build. Turquoise eyes. A smile, aimed just for him._

Sora stumbled for a bit, clutching his head in one hand.

"Huh. So you're starting to remember huh? Guess that means you'll naturally get your memories back eventually," Vanitas remarked.

"Do you...do you know him? This Riku-person?" Sora asked, clutching his head.

"Nah," Vanitas replied, "haven't really got a bone to pick with him. Just you and Ventus. But if it's any consolation, I at least know he's a good friend of yours."

"You know what a friend is?" Sora surprised himself with how arch he sounded.

Vanitas barked a laugh. "'Course I do. Or at least, I have the general idea. I was part of Ventus once, and at the very least, I remember how he felt about his friends during that one time we forged the X-blade. Not exactly a personal account, but hey, what else would you expect from someone like me?"

"Okay," Sora gave in, "okay. So I'll get my memories ...eventually. That’s...that’s good, yeah. Now tell me what's wrong with your Keyblade."

"How persistent," the darker-clad teen drawled. Sora glared at him, shaking away the temporary fogginess of his head. He waited for Vanitas to answer him, his eyes never leaving the stubborn being of spite. It didn't take him long.

Vanitas sighed, before holding up his Keyblade in his direction, the weapon's profile in full view. "See the eyes on my Keyblade?"

"Yeah, what about them?" Sora asked.

"They're called Gazing Eyes. Both my Keyblade and Xehanort's had them, and I know a few other Keyblades have them as well, though mine was an enchanted symbol bequeathed to me when I got my Keyblade. The Gazing Eyes on my Void Gear acted as the "eyes" of Xehanort when I did his dirty work around the worlds before, which was why he knew much more than what he actually saw. Now that Xehanort's gone, the Gazing Eyes on my Keyblade aren't blue like before."

Sora took notice of what Vanitas was talking about. The two eyes on the Keyblade - one by the hilt and the other on the weapon's head - were a shiny silver color now. They looked like delicate glass eyes, which eerily reminded Sora of lifeless dolls.

"So what's changed then, other than the eyes no longer being blue?" Sora asked.

"It should be obvious, you idiot," Vanitas replied, irritated, "You dealt with most of the Heartless we encountered, and I was barely making it. Dealing with the Heartless should have been easy for me, considering how much a hard time I gave you during the Keyblade War, and how _you_ don't have your memories right now."

"But now, you're struggling just like me. You've gotten weaker." Sora realized.

" _I am not weaker!_ " Vanitas snarled at him, before tempering himself and tossing Sora a heated glare. He tensed, even as Vanitas tried to keep his voice level. Sora didn't want to give Halcyon a harder time than he already had with the two of them fighting.

"My _damn Keyblade_ is the one getting weaker," Vanitas hissed, "I didn't want to tell anybody since I didn't want anyone giving me shit for it, and here I am telling you and you are _giving me shit for it_."

"I didn't – God, Vanitas don't be so difficult," Sora reasoned, "I'm just -"

"What? Disgusted? Disappointed? Relieved? Bet you think it'll be easy to ditch me now that I can't kick your ass-"

"Worried! _I'm worried about you!_ "

That shut up Vanitas pretty quickly. Sora didn't stop there, though. "I'm worried what it would mean for you. What would you do if you lost your Keyblade to fight? You can't use the Unversed; I'm not stupid, regardless what you think of me. I know that using them hurts you. And don't tell me it wouldn't matter either, because you're pure darkness or whatever, because clearly it does!

“You're - I'm - we're connected, and that means I understand what you feel, at least to some degree. I may not crave power and control the way you do, but I do know what it means to hold the power to do the things I want to do for myself, without asking others.  I want to help people, but I also like helping myself.

"And...and I guess that's selfish, and that makes me a hypocrite because being selfless and self-sacrificing was apparently what landed me in this mess in the first place, but I'm trying to get myself together now, and I'm doing it not because Lauriam or Halcyon want me to, or because you're bullying me into getting better, or anything else.

"I'm doing this for me. I want the power to take back who I am! And I need both my friends and my Keyblade to do that. I may not know much, but that fact, at the very least, I'm sure of."

Vanitas didn't speak. Sora figured his word vomit wouldn't really elicit a response, or the right one from the dark teen, but he couldn't help _not_ talking about it. Vanitas wasn't the only one frustrated.

"I'm sure you feel the same. The need to prove yourself; to have some proof of existence."

Silence still. Vanitas just stared at him, like he was some strange creature speaking in tongues. Sora felt stupid for all that – what was he thinking? He wasn’t, that’s what. Sora's shoulders dropped.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make it all about me. Forget it, I'm-"

"It's terrifying."

Sora looked up to stare at Vanitas. The dark clad boy had dismissed his Keyblade, and was now staring at his empty hands.

"All my life, for whatever vague existence I've lived, I've held a Keyblade longer than I've carried my name. I hated Ventus for being what he was - the light who had _everything_. Comfort, friends, reassurance. A master who genuinely cared for him. Power." Vanitas looked up to Sora. "I wanted all that, too. It took me some time to admit that to myself, but I was also resigned to the fact that as part of the darkness everyone fought back so hard against, I could never have any of that.

"All I had was my Keyblade - it was power - and I'll be damned before I give that up," Vanitas closed his eyes, "that's how Xehanort got me. He promised to give me all that I wanted and more, without asking what it was I really wanted. But as long as I had my Keyblade, I had proof of my existence and my wish. I had the power to make my own desires come true.

"You and Ventus were the closest people I could call my own, even if you rejected me every time. It was a little satisfying though, thinking of you in the context like you were my brothers.  Annoying, stupid, foolhardy, reckless, and dumbass brothers, but...I'd take it. I made my choice, really, for both our sakes, to at least keep the balance by choosing the darkness.

"So if I lost my Keyblade, what would I be? I'd be just another dark creature looking for validation and power from somewhere or someone else. I'd continue to pine and crave for the very things I couldn't have, chasing after Ventus. Chasing after you. And at the end of my journey I would fade back into the dark abyss with none the wiser or concerned. Unlike you lot, no one would look for me or miss me."

Vanitas chuckled. "Well, there isn't really much to miss, anyways."

Sora took a step towards him. "Vanitas..."

Without warning, a huge tremor shook the ground and took them off-guard. Sora stumbled on his footing, whereas Vanitas simply summoned his Keyblade and shifted into a battle stance. Their eyes met briefly, a silent agreement on putting the conversation on hold for the mean time. In the distance, Sora heard Halcyon call for them.

"Sora! Vanitas!"

"What's going on?" Sora asked.

Mira brought a hand to her chest as she caught her breath from running. "It's them! Aegeus and Nana's Heartlesses are the ones causing it. I managed to convince the inhabitants of Traverse Town to flee to safer ground, but we really need to take care of them as soon as possible," the now recovered Mira informed them, "They're the ones summoning the Heartless in this world."

A pair of loud roars resounded from afar, further signaling their direction.

Halcyon turned to face Mira, a concerned yet determined look on his face. "Mira, you're in no condition to take them out. Let me help you," he said.

"We'll help too!" Sora chimed in, summoning his Keyblade. Beside him, Vanitas swung his Keyblade in a swift slash to his side, looking positively excited at the prospect of a fight.

"No Sora, you're not strong enough to take on a Heartless of that calibre. At least, not in your current state. And Vanitas, try not to look so happy at the idea of violence!"

"You're not exactly stopping us," Vanitas sneered.

"But!" Sora protested.

Halcyon looked at them and softened. Something inside Sora twisted, with Halcyon's soft looks towards him. Something about his expression made Sora think of the word _paternal_ , and it's a surprise to him, how he knows the word but can't understand it. "You and Vanitas clear the path for us - take care of the Heartless they summon, so Mira and I could focus on the two giant Heartless of our friends. We cannot be reckless; we need to be careful."

Sora looked a little conflicted, like he wanted to argue on it a bit more, before visibly restraining himself and nodding. Vanitas looked bored, but he did give Sora a curious look.

"Alright. Lead the way then!"

~

_QUEST: Clear the way for Mira and Halcyon. Clear all Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_385 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_74% Traverse Town MAP CLEARED_

~

Sora heard the rattling howl of the huge Heartless by the town square. It resonated within his body, an ill feeling of dread and fear coursing through him. Sora made quick work of the few Heartless standing in his way, before bolting towards Vanitas to regroup.

"Vanitas!"

On the other hand, Vanitas looked very much at ease, not even looking bothered by the Heartless very much. He still looked like he was putting on an effort to fight, but he didn't look as winded as Sora. He watched as Vanitas summoned purple-black flames in his hand, before flinging it outwards in a vicious ring around him, immediately incinerating the surrounding enemies.

Sora heard Vanitas chuckle in amusement. "Small fries, huh? Not even their sheer numbers could occupy me for that long!"

"Maybe not, but what do you think about that one?" Sora asked, pointing in the direction where another loud howl from the town square echoed around them.

"Meh. Sounds just a smidge stronger than the ones here. What do you have in mind?" Sora eyed Vanitas' Void Gear. It still emanated its signature dark aura of power, but Sora could tell it wasn't as strong as Vanitas made it seem. He could tell it really was weakened, now that Vanitas had pointed it out to him.

If Sora voiced his concerns, it would only result in them fighting, and Sora really didn't need a confrontation between him and Vanitas right now. He resolved to broach the topic some other time, but for now...

"Wanna beat some Heartless butt?" Sora asked, giving Vanitas a determined grin.

"Whatever," Vanitas replied uninterestedly, but nonetheless sauntered past Sora and towards the direction of Halcyon and Mira fighting the terrorizing Heartless. Sora counted that as a win, and merely smiled and nodded.

"Let's go!"

~

_QUEST: Help beat the Dandelion Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Halcyon, Mira_

_2 HEARTLESS BOSSES DEFEATED_

_85% Traverse Town MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

With one last strike, Halcyon brought down a powerful downward slash on the head of the last Heartless, the sentient being of darkness fading into the shadows and releasing its captive heart.

"Chirithy!" Halcyon shouted. Out of nowhere, a ball of light descended and burst into a cute little creature with a cape. It made mewling sounds as it continued descending, and once it spotted Halcyon, it quickly made its way over to him.

"Halcyon!"

"Chirithy! Quick, secure that heart!"

Even without looking at the direction Halcyon was pointing at, Sora noted how quickly the creature moved in the air, catching up in no time with the renegade heart slowly rising in the air. Before it vanished, Chirithy managed to grab a hold of it, the heart glowing a bright red as it settled in the creature's hold.

A few footsteps from behind made Sora turned around, met with the sight of Vanitas and Mira approaching them. Beside Mira is another Chirithy, holding on to another heart.

"Okay, now what?" Sora asked.

Before anyone could reply, the ground began shaking beneath them, almost throwing them off balance. With the disappearance of the huge Heartless, two more appeared to take its place; this time two large creatures of ghostly white color with sharp pointed features met them. Sora felt that he was familiar with these creatures as he was with the Heartless.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Vanitas complained. "We have to take care of their Nobodies too?"

"Less complaining, more combat!" Halcyon snapped. "Our Chirithy can't hold on to their hearts for long - we have restore their hearts to their vessels before their hearts wander off. Then we'll really lose them."

"Tsk, so touchy," Vanitas tutted before turning to Sora. "Yo. Tired already?"

"Nah," Sora replied, wiping sweat from his brow, "I'm just getting started!"

~

_QUEST: Help beat the huge Nobodies._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Halcyon, Mira_

_2 NOBODY BOSSES DEFEATED_

_85% Traverse Town MAP CLEARED_

_ACQUIRED ????? Summon Charm_

_Continue >Save_

~

"I have to say, it's a little anticlimactic that things ended here like this."

With the subsequent restoration of the two Dandelions, most of the Heartless and Nobodies have been fairly exterminated, enough for the streets to be relatively safe for the world's denizens to come out.

Vanitas stood a distance away from the reunion of Dandelions by the Town Square, the four wielders wrapping each other in a huge group hug, tears and comforting words thrown a lot around them. It's obvious they were close - Vanitas was a little disgusted with their blatant display of affection in public. Sora stood in front of him a few feet away, looking like he wanted in on it too, which was just-

Why even?

"You look like you want in on that too."

Sora's expression changed into that of contemplation, like something weighed on his mind. "It feels familiar I guess. Their group hug."

"You miss getting hugs from your friends or something? God, Sora, how clingy are you?"

Sora chuckled a bit sadly. "Not clingy. I just...it's just weird that I miss something I don't even remember."

Vanitas thought about a time before he and Ventus were separated. He remembers it, though faintly, feelings of companionship and friendship. They were unexpected emotions at least, and vague memories at most, but sometimes when he thinks of Ventus, he misses how easy it was, when there was just one of them. It's exactly as Sora said; he misses things he doesn't remember.

It's strange how, despite their natures being so contrasting from each other, they have so much in common.

"We all miss something we don't have."

Sora gave Vanitas a peculiar look, and though he looked like he wanted to say something, he didn't ask further. Vanitas was a little relieved for it - he'd met his quota of personal oversharing.

"Hey, Vanitas?"

"What?"

"If you disappeared, I think I'd miss you."

Vanitas stared at Sora.

"Really now."

"Yeah." It was ridiculous, how Sora looked and sounded like he meant it.

"Huh. You would, wouldn't you."

Sora laughed. "I wonder though, if it was me, will you feel the same? Will you miss me?"

"Probably not. Can't feel like missing you if I'm incapable of feelings." Sora gave him a soft look, not one quite smiling, but just as comforting.

"Liar." he said, his voice low and somewhat amused. Vanitas tossed Sora a hot glare, to which Sora returned with a serious expression of his own. If Vanitas was a little honest - just this once, on this occasion, then...

Yeah. Maybe. Just a little bit. A very, tiny, _miniscule_ bit.

Not that he'd admit it though.

"...Fuck you, Sora."

Sora grinned at him, placing his hands behind his head. "It's okay to miss me, Vanitas. I'm a very miss-able person."

"Eh. Probably. I'm a pretty busy person, you know. Gotta lot of people I want to put down. I'll put it on my to-do list in case I forget to miss you or something."

Sora pouted at him. "Don't be mean. I can tell you'll think of me quite often."

"Probably how glad I am with how I don't have to deal with your shit."

"So we'll miss each other, okay, established. Not that it matters much, since we'll be together a long time. I can feel it: we'll be friends for a long time."

Vanitas didn't want to agree, but they have reached a point where they're at least acquaintances. He didn't vocalize any of it though. He didn't want to call the two of them friends, but when someone anchors your existence to the mortal plane to stop you from fading, then what do you call them?

"Van."

"What?" Vanitas stalled a bit before starting at the name, "wait, what did you call me?"

"Van," Sora repeated, sounding prouder and more sure with his declaration, "I've decided that's your nickname. You didn't like Vani, so that's the next best thing. It's a mouthful saying your whole name all the time."

"Fuck you, it's my given name so fucking use it, fuckmunch."

"Then _you_ give me a nickname. S'only fair."

"Dumbass. I'll call you dumbass, because you're a dumbass who has a dumb ass. Where the hell do you get off calling me kiddie-ass nicknames?"

"I think it's called friendship, but you probably wouldn't know, considering you didn't have any before me."

Vanitas gaped at him. Wow. And he thought Sora was supposed to be really nice - Vanitas wonders who taught Sora how to be sound vindictive. Such a bad influence!

"...Goddamn Sora, where'd you learn to talk smack like that?"

"...F-fuck off. Van."

Vanitas howled with laughter. Oh right, shit, _he_ was the bad influence. Silly him.

After breaking out of their group hug - _seriously, we had an entire conversation in between_ and _god Vanitas stop -_ the four wielders headed over to where Sora and Vanitas were, and introduced themselves.

"Thanks for helping save us. My name's Nana, and this guy over here is Aegeus. We were the Dandelions assigned to keep watch over this world, along with Mira. Sorry about all of that, Halcyon, new recruits," the girl, Mira, addressed them.

"To have you see us in such a state, we apologize for worrying and causing you all this trouble."

"It's okay! We're just glad to help!" Sora replied cheerily. Vanitas nodded silently, maintaining a few feet's distance away. He wasn't really keen on socializing with any more warriors of light.

"I didn't know we had new Dandelions," the deep voice belonging to Aegeus rumbled, "does this mean the Union leaders are...?"

"Just Lauriam," Halcyon frowned, "Ventus too, I suppose, but he's not at Daybreak - er, Scala ad Caelum at the moment. Lauriam said there was a Keyblade War in the other realm recently, and that he and Ventus were involved. Elrena too. Right now, Ventus is at the Land of Departure with his friends."

"And these guys? Where do the twins come in?" Mira asked.

Sora perked at Mira's comment. Twins? Did she mean...?

"It's a long and complicated story," Halcyon sighed, "even I barely kept with Lauriam's long-winded story for the most part."

"But they're part of us now, right? Fellow Dandelions?" Mira intoned, her voice excited. Sora looked at Halcyon a bit pleadingly, silently hoping for his positive answer as well. Faced with two excitable faces, Halcyon didn't really have much else of an answer.

"They are. They're helping us gather Lux and free the hearts claimed by the darkness. We just found them...wandering the city. No formal introductions or anything.” Sora heard Halcyon refrain from saying _painting the town red_ and _one of them is a being of darkness_ .

He and Vanitas really did give him a hard time huh? He should get him a present at some point in the future.

"So Ava's still missing then," Aegeus murmured, "how did they end up in our home world though?"

"Sora died, got revived, lost his memories, and then wound up in your home world. I just followed." Vanitas supplied, sounding flippant.

"You..died?" Mira cast a horrified look at Sora.

"Well, I’m not dead anymore, if that makes it all better..." Sora scratched the back of his head.

Mira chuckled. "Obviously." Aegeus and Nana turned to Halcyon for an explanation.

Halcyon sighed. "Like I said. It's a long, complicated story."

"Then it will have to wait. Or at least, it could wait until a later time that we could talk via our Chirithy. This may have been a diversion from your original destination; you have to get back to your assigned world, right?" Aegeus asked.

"Yeah, a few Dandelions got worried since we haven't heard from you, so I decided to stop by and see what was going on," Halcyon nodded, before nodding to Sora and Vanitas. "But yeah, it's off to my stationed world next. See you later then?"

"Definitely!" Nana cheered.

"Wait! Before you go," Mira perked up," Sora, do you have your own Chirithy? I didn't see you use one earlier."

Sora gave her a confused look. "Chirithy? You mean, those cat-creatures that look like Kupo?"

"Yeah! They're called Spirits, and an essential companion to us Dandelions. They offer aid and support, and basically help us drive back the darkness. We can also use them to communicate with other Dandelions. Each wielder gets one, it's how we keep in touch!" Mira explained.

"Oh, I see. Well, how do I get one?" Sora asked. Mira hummed and put a finger to her chin.

"I don't remember actually...I just had them from the beginning."

"You don't need one."

Everyone turned to look at Vanitas, as Sora threw him a curious expression. "What do you mean I don't need one?"

"You already have a Spirit attached to you. You just haven't summoned it." Vanitas replied, steadily walking towards Sora and poking him in the chest. Sora was about to tell Vanitas off when he felt something clunky against his chest. He took his hand in the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a colorful looking item. It looked like a pendant of some sort.

"What's this? I don't remember taking this with me before," Sora mulled it over.

"You must have acquired it while battling the Heartless," Halcyon mused, "it looks like a summoning item. Give it a try."

Sora nodded and brought the pendant to his chest, willing whoever or whatever it was connected to answer his summon. A bright light emanated from the item, and in a flash of light, Sora felt a response echo back.

When the light faded, something soft tackled Sora from behind, almost knocking him over. Sora turned around to see what it was he summoned, and immediately his arms were full of a soft, cuddly, and very cute creature, squeaking and mewling in joy. Sora couldn't help but laugh in joy as well.

"Meow Wow!" Sora laughed in glee, "It's you! It's so nice to see you!"

"Oh my gosh it's so cute!" Nana squealed, "I didn't know Spirits could look like that! It looks even more affectionate than Chirithy too!"

"Does it talk?" Mira asked, curiosity in her voice. The Meow Wow wiggled in Sora's arms, but didn't speak, letting it's cuteness be the answer itself.

"I guess not," Aegeus said, a lilt of amusement in his voice, "regardless, it acts familiarly with you, so I assume you've had your Spirit for a while now."

Sora couldn't confirm it for certain, having foggy memories at this point, but he feels it's true, too. "Yeah. You and I have been buddies for a while now huh? Right? Right?" Sora tickled Meow Wow on its soft belly, eliciting delighted mewls from the creature.

"So that solves that problem then," Nana clasps her hands together and beamed at the three of them. "What about you...Vanitas, right?"

The boy in question looked uncomfortable for a moment before shrugging, putting on a face of indifference. "I have my own means of self-support."

With a snap of his fingers, Vanitas summoned an Unversed into existence. But instead of the skittish blue creature with red eyes appearing, a gold and yellow flying creature appeared instead. It was small, no bigger than Vanitas' head, it's wings beating so rapidly it could be barely seen, it's shiny black eyes taking them in. Sora looked in shock at it - it didn't look like Vanitas' usual Unversed at all. If anything, it looked as tame as Meow Wow, and though it was silent, Sora got a happy feeling from looking at it.

When Sora looked at Vanitas though, he was just as equally surprised. He looked annoyed and scared as well, but mostly shocked at the unexpected summon. Sora could tell even Vanitas didn't anticipate what came out.

The gold creature still had the Unversed crest on its chest, though it looks less sharper and in a different color scheme, and the small creature flit between Vanitas and Sora, it's long, thin, black beak prodding them gently in the shoulder, and Sora's cheek once. Sora giggled at the creatures antics, before it flitted over by Vanitas' annoyed head.

"Does it have a name?" Sora asked.

"Gaudium," Vanitas replied absently after a beat.

"Small and cute, yet looks fierce too. Kinda reminds me of the hummingbirds I saw at the Forest of Willows," Mira noted.

Sora could tell Vanitas was about to throw down choice words about his Unversed being called cute, but apparently Halcyon took note of this as well and beat the dark clad teen to saying anything first.

"That's great Vanitas. I'm sure your Spirit is just as helpful as any Chirithy."

"It's not a Spirit-"

"Anyways, you're all correct. We need to keep moving. We're heading on to the next world," Halcyon continued, uninterrupted by Vanitas' complaining, already rummaging around the pockets in his jacket. "I'd love to stay and catch up, really, but I need to be getting myself and the kids to a better location for farming Lux and training.

"I really wish we had more time to catch up too, but I suppose this is how it is," Aegeus rumbled.

"See you some other time then," Nana smiled.

Halcyon took another item from his jacket - a stone with an animal footprint on it - before summoning his own Keyblade.  The new item glowed with a rich white light and floated above them, and with a flick of Halcyon's Keyblade, the item transformed into a giant keyhole in the sky, the swirling mass of space billowing inside it.

The Gate to the Worlds.

He turned to Sora and Vanitas, who were both looking at him with varying expressions; Sora was excited, and Vanitas looked impatient. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah!" Sora beamed.

"Just get on with it, old man," Vanitas drawled. Halcyon threw him a pout, to which the dark-haired boy only rolled his eyes at.

"Take care fellow Dandelions," Aegeus bid them goodbye.

"You guys take care too!" Sora replied back. Vanitas couldn't help but think that sounded a bit shady, considering what some of them went through. He said nothing though, and merely smirked at them, still actively hiding his darkness from them. Let them think he was Dandelion, but he wasn't going to volunteer the fact he used the darkness for power to their knowledge. Even as they left, Vanitas couldn't help but think he had to be careful not to reveal himself too much in other worlds - that would just spell additional trouble.

And additional trouble? Was just unnecessary hassle he didn't want to deal with.

He looked over to Sora who was facing ahead, looking lost in thought.

"May your hearts be your guiding key," Mira chorused.

_May your heart be your guiding key._

_How familiar,_ Sora thought. He really feels like he's heard it from someone somewhere before the Dandelions. Before he could think too much on it, he, Vanitas, and Halcyon are enveloped in light, and with one last look at the three Dandelions behind him, he closes his eyes feels the pull of the next world.

He wonders if the next one will help him remember.

~

_UNLOCKED Wonder Balloon Summon Charm!_

_> Continue_

~

_"You seem to be deep in thought," Elrena gave Lauriam a curious look._

_"Just thinking too much," Lauriam answered mildly, "Sora just reminds me too much of him."_

_"Who?"_

_"Ephemer," Lauriam replied, "he and Vanitas even wore clothes almost close to his. And it's ridiculous, since I didn't really get the chance to know Ephemer all that well before he, Ventus, and Skuld all left to gather Lux for the Union for god knows how many years ago. I'm not...not even sure if he's still alive."_

_"Probably , probably not; it was hundreds of years ago," Elrena said flippantly, "You do know about the nature of this realm right? Time doesn't run the same pace as it does out there. The fact that Daybreak Town has shifted to become a minor part of Scala ad Caelum is mystery enough."_

_"It doesn't explain how there are so many aged Dandelions then," Lauriam intoned, "none of us were really staying in Daybreak for long periods of time, much less long enough to only age us a decade in the span of hundreds of years, and much less when Daybreak transitioned to become Scala ad Caelum. The Dandelions explored the worlds to gather Lux, which would mean they would age naturally at most, there's no way that - " Lauriam's eyes widened in realization._

_"Unless...unless some external factor forced them to begin aging. Like...becoming a Heartless?"_

_"If we had become Heartless here and somehow wandered to the Waking Realm then yeah,” Elrena confirmed, “Logically, as long as we're on this realm, we_ shouldn't _age no matter how much time passed in the_ other _realm, and that meant the worlds would be filled with Keyblade wielders. But when we joined the Organization and realized that Sora was basically the_ only _Keyblade wielder around..."_

_"I should have realized this. I should have seen this all before!" Lauriam was shocked at his own failure to realize the bigger picture._

_"To be fair, we were pretty much under Xemnas' influence, and we barely had memories of our past lives as well until later. It was pretty shitty," Elrena tried to calm Lauriam down, her usual sassy voice sounding concerned for her friend._

_"All those huge and powerful Heartless - it was impossible for all of them to have come from just Darkness. It wasn't completely logical! And the numerous Nobodies we used to control - of course Nobodies came from people with strong hearts who get consumed by the darkness. They had to come from somewhere! And maybe they weren't exceptionally powerful Nobodies like we became, but they were sentient enough to understand orders and do their own thing. They were-"_

_"-the Dandelions that fell to the darkness over the years," Elrena finished for him, "and  when Sora went around beating Heartless and Nobodies, he released the captured hearts and restored them to the side of light, like us. Or at least, back to_ this _realm."_

_"Some of them were civilians of their respective worlds, of course," Lauriam spoke calmer now, "but the more powerful Heartless and Nobodies were definitely not of ordinary citizens, regardless how strong their hearts were. And as Sora continued to free hearts on his journey, he either sent those hearts to Kingdom Hearts, or restored the entity to their original state. As Heartless, we were able to travel between the realm of light and the realm of darkness, essentially the Waking realm, as well as here, the Realm of Sleep. That must mean at some point, our Heartless and Nobody crossed over to the Waking Realm, away from here, and now that we've reformed, we returned here, in the Realm of Sleep, just as where Ava intended us to be."_

_"That's one easy way to explain us and the partial aging of the Union in the span of the years, though I have a feeling something more complicated_ actually _happened, because that explanation wouldn't explain..." Elrena trailed._

_"Luxu," Lauriam continued darkly, and Elrena smirked._

_"Ah, so you figured him out too, huh?" She laughed. "I always knew Xigbar was one shady old man, shadier than even Xemnas sometimes. The Heartless-time-preservation theory sounds pretty flimsy and easily disproven, but it's what we have right now."_

_Lauriam didn't understand everything either, but one thing was certain: one battle may have been won, but this war is far from over. On the other hand though..._

_"I suppose we never found Strelitzia even after all this time, huh..."_

_"...No, we didn't."_

_"I guess I understand why we chose being Nobodies back then. We really were ready to do anything just to be even closer to finding her. I suppose not being able to feel the pain and disappointment of not finding her was an added bonus- made it easier. The inability to feel anything - a respite from the pain."_

_"Laur..."_

_"Let's not think about it for now. We'll...we'll get back to it. Later. Let's just focus on the Dandelions for now."_

_"Alright," Elrena nodded. "Just know that I'll be here as well. Strelitzia is important to me too." Lauriam smiled at the blonde, before shifting his thoughts to other matters. There was immediately one concern that flitted through his head._

_“Elrena,” Lauriam began, giving the girl with him a peculiar look, “tell me, has anyone heard from Rudol?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Discussion time!
> 
> First off the list of things that was prominent in this chapter is Halcyon. Introduced in the first chapter, Halcyon is my OC that was meant as a background representation of the Player in KHUX. However his role evolved to somehow be more than just a background character and became an actual minor character in the story. His outfit is just as plain as any minor character - his leather jacket jacket and belt buckle being the only noteworthy things he retained from his younger Dandelion days. By all means, I imagined him to look ordinary and mundane, and other than the 5 o'clock shadow, he's got no standout features - he's an ordinary person with ordinary looks, like most of us, who was simply given power for a higher calling. He's older, and has some wisdom to pass around. I won't spoil much of his character, since he, Sora, and Van get more fleshed out in the next major chapter.
> 
> The second part is the Dandelions. From their names itself, I had the image that the Dandelions had different heritages. Aegeus is Greek, Nana is Japanese, Mira is Spanish, while Halcyon is mixed FIlipino-American. The Dandelions each have their own assigned worlds to supervise. Traverse world is under the supervision of Aegeus, Nana, and Mira, while Halcyon manages his own by himself since he's the eldest. The reason why Riku and Sora didn't run into any of them in KHDDD was simple because they were in another sector of Traberse Town during their Mastery exam, and simply did not run into each other or the TWEWY kids. Joshua probably knew of them, but that's not important. XD
> 
> The last point are Sora and Van's Chirithies - or rather, their substitutes. Predictably, Sora has Meow Wow as his acting Chirithy, since the Dreameater has been very close to Sora since KHDDD, and even getting a link summon of his own in KH3. Gaudium on the other hand is an Unversed, but rather than the usual ones Vanitas summons, this one is different simply because of its nature. Really, the name says it all. Gaudium is a basically a mechanical golden humingbird - I chose the hummingbird because of what it symbolizes. Look up Gaudium and hummingbirds if you're curious, I won't stop you. Haha.
> 
> Bonus, the ending is a continuation of last chapter's ending scene - and basically explains my earlier theory/plot point that I wanted the story to use. It lightly brushes on the Sleeping World Theory, but doesn't go much into it considering Lauriam and Elrena are still adjusting.
> 
> Questions: What do you think the next world will be? And who's Rudol, if you haven't already guessed it?
> 
> Next upload will be the Namine and Xion interlude, and will probably be uploaded a few hours later if not a later this week, since I still have to finish the art for it.
> 
> Sound off in the comments, leave a kudos, and let's talk! :D


	5. Interlude II: Sisters and Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naminé and Xion mess with someone's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back! Here's the promised Naminé and Xion interlude, with a fanart for the chapter done by me as well! Took me a bit longer to upload since there was a problem with my service provider from the past weeks, but it's stable now, so here it is!
> 
> Without further ado, here's Interlude II!

Pushing the white doors open, a subtle breeze ruffled the papers scattered on the floor. Different pictures littered the pristine white tiles; scenes of battles and encounters immortalized between childish crayon drawings and realistic pencil sketches. The figure who entered distractedly picked one up by his feet, only to be met by a drawing of himself mid-battle with his contemporary.

It was a well-drawn picture - he could easily make out the lines of tension in his face's drawing, and his opponent looked equally expressive, her expression fierce and engaged in battle. He absently ran a finger though the face in the drawing, his lips quirking in a small smile.

"Oh, Terra, hello. What brings you here?"

Terra looked up and was met by the room's inhabitant. Foregoing her usual white dress, she wore quite the contemporary look: a long sleeve button-up and blue plaid skirt, a matching blue tie of the same pattern tied around her collar, and brown loafers and white socks that reached just below her knees. Her platinum blonde hair was tied in a nice arrangement, probably done by Xion, or perhaps even Axel.

"Just visiting, Naminé. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine. Axel and Isa are keeping me company today, and Xion will come by later. The boys have gone to town to get food though, you just missed them," the girl replied.

"No matter, they'll be back anyways."

Naminé tilted her head at him. "Do you plan to stay?"

Terra nodded, giving Naminé a serious look. "There are some things I wanted to talk to you about."

"Does it involve Aqua?"

Terra, for all his impressive build, actually _blushes_. "No. Er...maybe - we could talk about that after talking about the thing I came to talk to you about. Originally."

Naminé merely chuckled at the huge Keyblade wielder. It was so fun to tease him - he and Riku were so similar in that respect. She tells him as much.

"Ven told me the same thing. And to think I was the one that blessed Riku to inherit a Keyblade years before," Terra sighed, "speaking of Riku, how is he?"

"About a day ago? Scouring the ends of the Caribbean, looking for treasure, or perhaps a clue to Sora's whereabouts," Naminé answered, "he's having a grand time travelling again, especially because of that crash course with Aqua on using the Glider in Merlin's pocket world, though I feel that he's pushing himself hard with his search as he is."

"He'll be fine. If it's Master Aqua who's taught him, he'll be fine."

"You're unwavering faith in Aqua reveals you too much Terra, I wonder how the others haven't pieced it together yet," an amused tone from Naminé teased the older boy again, "though to be fair, Riku is a Master as well, so he's bound to do well, I'm sure."

"And you to him," Terra fired back, though Naminé merely cocked an eyebrow at him, not a single flustered hair out of place, "I've seen the two of you together."

"Me and Riku haven't always been as friendly with each other before as we are now, especially under the tutelage of DiZ - Ansem the Wise - but we were fairly close, even back then. We share a history, he and I, so it only makes sense we're on pleasant terms. Though not quite as extensive as you and Aqua."

"We grew up together, yeah. Trained together under Master Eraqus too."

"I'm a little envious," Naminé intoned, her voice a little melancholy, "all of you are so neatly formed into threes. Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Roxas, Axel, and Xion. Aqua, Ven, and you. Even His Majesty, Donald, and Goofy. So much history and significance in each group, I never quite know where to place myself."

"Don't be," Terra replied, "you belong here just as much as anyone else. And you always have a place with any of us. You do in me."

Naminé smiled. "That's really sweet, Terra. Though I hope I don't take up too much space in your heart, I wouldn't want to be compete for space for Aqua."

" _Why_ are you so intent on setting me up with her? Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I love her only as a sister?" Terra replied a little hotly.

"So you _love_ her?"

Terra doesn't even hesitate. "Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?"

Naminé raised her hands in peace. "I'm not saying you don't, I'm just saying everyone else can see it isn't _platonic._ "

"Well, maybe it _is_ platonic. What do you even know?"

"Nothing concrete, but I remember your Lingering Will feels otherwise, darling Terra."

Terra groaned as he buried his head in his arms. It was just at that moment that Axel came bursting in through the door, carrying a bag high in his arms. Following behind him at a more reasonably sedate pace was Isa, an expression of amusement on his face.

"I have returned with sustenance!" Axel belows, before taking notice of Terra in the room. "Oh, hey there Terra! Didn't know you were dropping by. Good thing I got extra food!"

"Thanks Axel," Terra replied, his voice muffled in his hands. Axel and Isa threw Naminé a confused look.

"Give him space. He's just having one of his episodes," Naminé blithely said. The two of them shrugged and proceeded to unpack the food on the table, leaving Terra to question himself why he even bothered teasing Naminé.

~

After spending so much time in the darkness, being back on the side of Light was like feeling he could breathe again. The drowning feeling he's felt for so long was finally replaced with a feeling of lightness, at long last being able to be with Aqua and Ven, his dearest friends, after so long a separation.

Prior to that, his lost mind remained with his Keyblade and armor, bringing forth Lingering Will, as the sentient guardian of the Keyblade Graveyard left to set things right after the first confrontation with Xehanort more than a decade ago. His Lingering Will had been reawakened into action by Naminé, who had reached out from where she was at some point in their battles, and she gave Terra the first push to pick up his weapon and take back who he was from Xehanort.

In the heat of battle, what Naminé did was largely unnoticeable and easily overlooked. In the grand scheme of things though, what she did was not just give them time and a fighting chance, but hope that could tide things in their favor.

Since then, Terra has felt a sense of protectiveness and fondness for the girl. Naminé was like the little sister he never had; Ventus was like his little brother, who looked up to him and aspired to be like him, and Aqua was -

Well. Aqua was Aqua.

(He could imagine Naminé raise an eyebrow at him for that in his head.)

In his opinion, Naminé was the most unexpected friend he's made amongst their group, which seemed silly now that he thought about it, considering he was fairly close to Riku having a mutual experience with darkness - who Naminé was particularly close with - and Aqua, who was close to Kairi, who treated Naminé like her sister. Their circles of friends overlapped with each other so often it just made sense, and with their first official meeting in person, Terra's fondness for Naminé only felt stronger with the girl's keen sense for people and careful tact.

(At one point, Aqua told Terra that part of why she thought Terra liked Naminé was because the blonde possessed certain qualities that he wished he had - like unwavering inner strength, tact, and the ability to empathize with people naturally. Terra couldn't refute it.)

The only thing he's exasperated about is how Naminé continually gives him so much teasing for liking Aqua, and by extension, Roxas teased him as well. There were days when Terra couldn't tell him apart from Ven; there was this one time when Roxas and Naminé got together to gang up on him, and left him a blubbering mess, because Roxas, who pretended to be Ven, is insistent that one of these days Aqua will walk in on him waxing poetic over her and he has to call them 'mom' and 'dad'.

Naminé said it sounds like a good plan. The real Ven, who just walked in, laughed at him and agreed. Roxas just asked Terra who he'll ask to be his best man, because it can't be Ven since he wants to be the ringbearer, and Terra doesn't have many guy friends.

Riku, from where he sat beside Naminé, just sighed and said he'll be Terra's best man in the most put out tone of voice. Naminé gave Terra a mock-pitying look.

Terra just wanted the earth swallow him then and there.

So there.

Naminé's become kind of like his sister against his expectations, and he can tell the girl looks up to him like a brother. She lets him play with her hair, leans against his shoulder when they do movie marathons in their shared group apartment in Twilight Town, and they go out regularly for coffee at one of local cafes at Destiny Islands. Their little playdates don't even warrant a second glance from anyone - it was like everybody had paired them up as the unlikely sibling pairing in the group.

(Aqua told Terra she thought they were cute, and when he told Naminé, she just said " _I wonder if she'll still find it cute when she learns most of our conversations center on your barely concealable infatuation with her_ " to which Terra just groaned and banged his head on the table.)

It's been close to three months since the huge battle with Xehanort concluded, more than a month since Kairi returned and Sora didn't, and a few days since Riku left to look for Sora, and in that time, the feeling of peace after fighting against something for so long was such a strange concept to live on.

It didn't seem real, especially after Kairi got back. But other than that, it was around this time his dear friend started acting differently.

Which was Terra decided to do something about it, and Naminé was just the girl who could help him.

~

After a hearty afternoon meal, Axel and Isa bade Naminé and Terra goodbye, punctuated by the arrival of Xion. The two girls skipped towards each other and shared a hug, before the two of them gravitated towards the huge table at the room's center. Xion waved over at Terra who was seated by the table, collecting empty food cartons back into their plastic bags to dispose of later, and the tall boy handed Xion a small can of ice cream Axel bought, kept chilled by a carefully casted Blizzard spell.

Terra watched as the two girls chattered animatedly about their recent activities: Naminé told her about the trip she and Roxas took to Agrabah to people watch and buy souvenirs, and Xion told the blonde of her training excursion with Donald and Goofy at Olympus as she ate her ice cream. Terra listened absently as the two girls chatted, occasionally giving his inputs and opinions when he was drawn into the conversation, and mostly settled for looking at the various drawings Naminé had lying around.

After a moment of silence with Xion and Naminé talking about the blonde's latest drawing, Terra couldn't help but bring up the topic he's originally set out to talk to Naminé about; Xion being present not being a bad thing at all, considering it involved her as well.

"Naminé," Terra began, "what's going on with Ventus?"

Naminé and Xion visibly paused, looked at each other, before turning to Terra in synchronized unison. It was a little unnerving how in sync they were.

The blonde was the first to answer. "I wish I could tell you what, but I don't know more than any of you. If you should ask anyone, then Roxas would be your best bet."

"Yeah," Xion nodded, "those two really hang out together a lot when Axel and I aren't around. They've grown really close in such a short time."

"I already asked Roxas, but all he gave me was a non-answer," Terra replied.

_"I'm not the best person to divulge Ven's ridiculousness to anyone," Roxas told Terra, "so whatever you or anyone else think it is that I know about him, you're better off asking him yourself."_

"Hmm," Naminé mused, while Xion looked pensive, "there's definitely something going on, that much I can tell. Roxas doesn't make it a habit to be so vague about things, so the fact that he's covering for Ven is very telling."

"Surely it's nothing dangerous right?" Xion asked.

"No, I don't think it's that," Terra replied, "but Ven just seems so listless lately. Like he's always lost in thought. It's gotten to the point that Aqua has asked _me_ about Ven instead of the guy himself, and they're pretty close."

"He's holding a secret," Naminé said, "what it is, other than Roxas, none of us know. But I think if anyone could convince Ven to open up, it would be you. Ven looks up to you like you’re his older brother. You just have to be patient with him."

"I'm kind of running out of it," Terra grumbled, "he tries to act like he's fine, but he's not; even I could tell. I've talked to Aqua about it and it's been bothering her too."

"Ah yes, such dedicated parents to your child," Naminé chuckled, "is this a habit you and her have? Having long concerned conversations about your boy?"

Terra blushed. "Naminé!"

The two girls laughed at Terra's blushing face. "On a more serious note, Ven doesn't seem to be the type to keep secrets to himself for too long. Maybe instead of convincing him to open up, you just need to keep waiting for him to be ready to tell you what's bothering him," Xion pointed out.

Terra's kind of surprised at how insightful that was - he's even more surprised that the context of Ven not feeling ready to share his secrets with him hadn't occurred to him. It should've been obvious too; despite everything they've been through, Ven was still a kid. There are going to be things Ven will feel hesitant to share with him at first, perhaps even more so with Aqua.

He just wants Ven to remember that he's always going to be there for him.

"Or maybe he feels that _we_ aren't ready for his secrets. Kinda like how Yen Sid keeps his secrets to himself, and only tells us if he feels we're ready to hear it, like being in right headspace or having the right timing," Naminé intoned.

"Us being in the right headspace at the right time, huh? Must be serious if Ven’s keeping so much from us," Terra murmured.

He didn't miss the curious look Xion gave Naminé, to which the blonde only shook her head slightly. Now _that_ was telling. Though they did say they didn't know, but maybe they had a clue? Naminé looked down on a piece of paper and started absently sketching on it.

Terra went over their conversation just now and tried to look for clues in what was said. _Those two really hang out together a lot when Axel and I aren't around. They've grown really close in such a short time,_ Xion had said. _Roxas doesn't make it a habit to be so vague about things, so the fact that he's covering for Ven is very telling,_ Naminé intoned.

They both said that Ven may not be ready to tell them about it, or maybe _they_ weren't ready for what Ven wanted to say. And everybody, including Aqua, could conclude that Roxas knew the most. Terra tried to trace back to how the two look-alikes got acquainted, and he's surprised he doesn't know. All he knows is that one day Ven sought Roxas out, and the next thing he knows, his blond friend started spending his free hours with Roxas.

And now that that he's looking back on it, there had been conversations when Ven would be purposely obtuse and misdirect the conversation from certain topics, and he'd note that sometimes when it would happen, Ven and Roxas would look at each other and have some sort of silent conversation.

It wasn't strange (it kinda was), it was just out of nowhere. Random. And it was almost as if they were accomplices hiding a mutual secret. As if -

A strange idea formed in Terra's head. A very, very weird but plausible idea.

"Umm, so, hey," Terra began, suddenly feeling awkward bringing this up in the conversation. "You think Ven and Roxas are...close, right?"

"...Yes?" Naminé replied, her eyes narrowing at Terra in confusion as her hand continued to sketch absently. "We've gone over this. They're very close. Close enough that they're sharing secrets even."

"Right," Terra squirmed. "So, they're...uh, together a lot, then, yeah?"

"Yeah," Xion looked at him funnily. "They hang out a lot."

"Can I just say it? I feel like the two of you know something," Terra watched as both girls wore panicked looks on their faces briefly - Naminé pursing her lips and Xion's eyes going wide with subtlety - which they hid pretty quickly as it came. "You'd tell me if the two of them are doing something...reckless, right?"

"I assure you, Terra, we're keeping a close eye on them," Naminé replied, "everybody's been on edge since Sora didn't return. Emotions are running high, and even me and Xion are affected by Sora's disappearance. Ven and Roxas more so, considering how close they were to Sora."

 _Emotions running high_ , Terra didn't want to run his imagination through that. "Right. So. They're...safe, right?"

"As safe as can be," Xion replied, "they just blow off steam together in a couple of worlds to get the restlessness out of their system from time to time."

Terra repeated the words to himself in his head.

_Oh God._

"Terra are you okay? You're making a very complicated expression," Naminé asked him, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Can you deliver a message to him for me then?" Terra blurted out. "Tell him that I love him, and that fact won't change no matter what, and that I'll continue to be his dear friend no matter what other people say, and that I wholly accept him for who he is. That he can talk to me about anything - and I mean anything! - and that I hope Roxas is treating him right and that it doesn't matter who he ends up with, he'll always be my brother and -" he was stopped out of his rambling by Naminé grabbing his shoulder and putting a finger on his lips to stop his mouth from moving.

"You might want to write all that down," Xion said drily, "I don't think Naminé or I can remember all of that."

"Terra, what are you talking about? What do you think Ven is keeping from you?" the blonde asked him, her brows going high at Terra's little freak-out.

"That he and Roxas are...together?" Terra squirmed.

“They _are_ together a lot, didn’t we just talk about it?” Xion tilted her head at him in confusion.

“I mean...you know...together... _intimately.”_

Naminé and Xion's jaws dropped.

" _What?_ " the black-haired girl gaped at him.

"Oh Terra, that's not it _at all_ ," Naminé looked torn between mortification and laughter. "What gave you that idea of all things?"

"You said they were really close!"

"I meant close like _actual siblings!_ " Xion replied, sounding scandalized.

"You said they were _being safe blowing off steam_ in other worlds!" Terra exclaimed.

"By taking out Heartless in a few worlds and not actively looking for danger like Riku," Naminé sighed. "And if you're going to point out their sudden closeness, then yes, that's just friendship and them being secretive."

"Oh thank God!"

"Wow. It's like the idea of Ven and Roxas together was a horrid thought for you," Naminé said.

"It isn't," Terra replied, sighing, "but since they look so much alike, that, well, it's kinda weird. They're like twins - a lot of us have even thought that! - I don't even know how I arrived at that conclusion."

"It seems to me you're looking into things a little too hard," Naminé demured, setting aside her pencil and drawing, "perhaps looking for romance in other people is a result of your pining for Aqua."

"I heard it's called projecting," Xion helpfully added, "it's seeing feelings and emotions in other people rather than admitting or dealing with your own emotions. I learned that word from Isa."

" _I am not projecting!_ " Terra sighed exasperatedly.

"Just go on a date with her already," Xion rolled her eyes.

"Take her some place nice. Maybe London, or even Paris. Even a fun match at the Coliseum sounds like a good idea for both of you. Just ask her out - you can even use the "as friends" excuse as you like - and then we'll all be happy." Naminé suggested.

"You're kinda stressed out, Terra. Maybe you should relax a bit?" Xion prodded, concerned.

Terra shook his head. There was a pregnant pause before he spoke again. "I've been gone for so long, caused a lot of people a lot of grief. Aqua and Ven most of all. I can't... I can't just let them do all the saving..."

Naminé stood up and walked over to stand beside Terra, and placed a hand on top of his clenched fists. "There are many ways you could make it up to them. Running yourself ragged with reckless concern isn't one of those ways. Spend some quality time with both of them, and just be there for them. I've learned that simply being around those you love is a comfort and a saving grace on its own."

The tall boy's gaze travelled from the hand on his shoulder to the blonde's smiling face. It was hard not to return it.

“Stop being so hard on yourself, Terra,” Naminé continued, “nobody blames you for it. We all have weaknesses we learn to win over to get stronger.”

“You’re right,” Terra agreed, sounding much more cheerful. “I always end up overthinking this. Thanks for that Naminé. I needed that. You too, Xion. The concern from both of you is very much appreciated.”

“No problem! Naminé and I will always be here for you, one gay panic at a time!” Xion teased cheekily.

Terra groaned and buried his face in hands, as the two girls laughed at the tall boy’s ridiculous assumptions earlier. They spent the rest of the afternoon listening to Terra talk about Ven and Aqua, and then Xion and Terra both took up funny poses for Naminé to draw.

Overall, it was a fun afternoon.

~

After Terra took them up to their apartment and promptly left to return to the Land of Departure, Xion and Naminé drifted to the kitchen, where the two of them unwrapped the takeout they got from Le Grand Bistro earlier for dinner. The blonde placed the food inside the microwave to heat it up, as Xion took out plates and set the table.

The blonde went about unpacking further, placing her pad of papers and color pencils on one side of the table, safely placed where it wouldn't be soiled by food.

Naminé felt the black-haired girl's gaze at the back of her head.

"Was giving Terra a gay crisis necessary?" Xion asked.

"Terra didn't have a gay crisis, he thought _Ven_ was having a gay crisis, and then he had a crisis about that," Naminé replied.

"Semantics," the black haired girl waved, "was it necessary though?"

"Not really, but it was amusing. It's exactly like Terra's character to arrive at such an absurd conclusion. He's so serious, he sometimes has lapses in what's ridiculous and what's actually probable."

"Like a lack of common sense?"

"More like readjusting. Axel and Isa are in a queer-platonic relationship right? Times have changed - he's trying to be more open-minded about things. I think he's trying too hard and he's overcompensating a little though. It's tragic and cute."

"And the way we worded Ven and Roxas' friendship probably didn't help either." Xion mused, looking at Naminé with a pensive face.

It was a brief glance downwards, but it was enough for realization to set in. Xion's eyes widened, finally noticing the finished drawing Naminé had – the sketch she started doing when Terra started questioning them about Ven. "Oh my god. You emphasized those parts of our conversation. You _drew_ that idea into his head. You _manipulated_ the conversation to go in that direction. That's why Terra was acting so out of character!"

The blonde girl stared at the microwave, watching the red glow from inside it heating their food. "It was pretty harmless, and it's thrown him off outright hounding Ven for answers right? Should give the four of us more time to know and plan things," Naminé rationalized. "There's no harm in keeping him in the dark for a little longer."

"I didn't think you'd do something like that," Xion said quietly.

"For what it's worth, I didn't want to do it either. Except I know Terra can be stubborn. After knowing the lengths Aqua and Ven have gone to in order to bring him back, there's no doubt in my mind he'd do the same for them if one of them was in trouble. Terra actively confronting Ven about it would put Ven on the spot. We know Ven's not ready to open up, so I did what I thought I needed to do - I threw him off course.

"You can call me manipulative if you want, but I only did what I thought was best," Naminé ended her explanation, looking contrite but resolute in her decision.

"It’s not that I thought badly of you for doing so,” Xion looked at her with a sad look, “it’s that I know how you hate using your powers in that way.”

“I suppose you could say I panicked,” Naminé laughed softly, “I knew I couldn’t just let him walk in on Ven like that.”

"So you didn't tell him," Xion finished.

"Neither did you," Naminé calmly returned.

"Hmm. Only because out of the four of us, I was the one who knew the least."

Naminé turned around to look at Xion, propping herself against the counter beside the microwave to properly face the black-haired girl. "Trust me Xion, we're all probably on the same page. Except Roxas maybe; Ven's always telling him something new he's remembered."

"Okay, so maybe we know about Ven's past and how it plays into our situation now," Xion continued, "but why not tell Terra anything at all? Why lie to him and say we knew nothing?" The shrill ring of the microwave sounded, indicating their food was warm enough.

"Because it is not our secret to tell, Xion," Naminé answered, grabbing a mitten and taking out the hot food out of the microwave. She gently walked over to the table and motioned for Xion to sit down as well. "We can't break Ven's trust in us by just giving out his secrets, even if it's out of good intentions. Sometimes, the actions taken with the best intentions are what hurt the most."

The black haired girl took set the table for the food, placing their utensils and plates neatly for their use. Naminé plated the newly warmed food in a serving dish, and served Xion a generous portion of the gratin before serving herself.

Xion sighed. "You helping him recover more memories?" she asked, taking a bite of her gratin.

"As much and as safely as I can," Naminé answered. "It's making good progress, but it's hard. None of us know how his memories have been tampered with to begin with during his time with Xehanort, so I'm taking precautions if his memory loss is caused by some powerful spell or violent curse. I'm being careful - I have to be."

The two girls are left in silence, taking their time eating dinner. Naminé has taken a cup of salad from the bag earlier, and listlessly poked around her cherry tomatoes before taking dainty bites of it. Xion finished her gratin shortly, setting her empty plate aside.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you,” Xion smiled. “You probably won’t even take that long.”

“I suppose,” Naminé returned her smile, “Sora _was_ the exception. I had to take apart, gather, and reconnect the right memories with him. Unlike with Ven, the memories are all there – they just have to resurface.”

"Has Roxas told you anything new about Ven?" Xion asked.

"Nothing of note, except apparently, Ven knew Marluxia and Larxene's younger somebodies. Lauriam and Elrena, their names were. I think Roxas was hesitant to share that with me, considering my history with those two." Naminé replied.

"That's interesting," Xion mused, picking up her Gummiphone when it rang a notification, "but not particularly helpful, I guess? Does that mean the two of them are...?"

"Dandelions? That's most likely the case," Naminé replied. She had now finished her salad and gratin, and put her used bowls down. "Regardless, those two are another matter entirely - a matter I intend not to address for the mean time."

"Noted," Xion smiled, and held up her Gummiphone. "Roxas just texted. He and Ven want to meet up tomorrow."

"Did he say what it was about?" Naminé tilted her head at the sudden invitation from the two.

"He didn't say much, just that Ven wanted to show and tell us something. He said we should meet up at the Islands." Xion replied, sounding intrigued by it as well.

"Alright," the blonde nodded, standing up and gathering their plates. Xion followed her, and the two girls ventured to the sink to do the dishes together.

There was a quiet moment between them, and as Naminé ran the faucet and began washing the dishes, Xion asked an unexpected question.

“You think Sora’s okay, where he is?”

Naminé had to pause in her movements, before fluidly moving once more, a smile on her face, and replied to Xion. “Yes. Sora’s always been the type to do just fine. If given the chance, he’d be making friends with the most unexpected people to be allies.”

Xion laughed. “That’s true. I still can’t help but worry though. Kairi and Riku aren’t doing so well...”

“It’s only to be expected. They’re the two people closest to Sora; it’s only natural that his loss would hit them hard. But yeah, I’m worried about the both of them, too,” Naminé handed Xion the last dish to dry, and faced her fully, turning around and leaning on the counter. “But I believe they’ll be fine. Riku and Kairi...they’re much stronger than we give them credit for.”

Xion nodded. “Yeah. They’ll be fine. We’ll all be okay!”

Naminé merely glanced away and looked over to her discarded drawings on the opposite side of the dinner table where they ate. Under her sketch of Terra’s face with multiple scenes of Ven and Roxas from earlier, the blonde could make out another strange drawing she made much earlier, trapped in one of her trances that happen from time to time.

A drawing of two Soras, one with brown hair and the other with black. She doesn’t know what that means, but she doesn’t sense any ill-foreboding from the drawing, so she chalks it up to one of Sora’s crazy adventures from where he is. Perhaps a doppelganger, or a strange twin from another world? Naminé can only wonder.

Knowing him, he’ll probably have much more exciting stories to tell. Naminé already feels excited for drawing more pictures from Sora’s adventures.

“That’s right. We’ll all be okay, no doubt about it,” she smiled widely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naminé is a secret savage and Xion is a cinnamon roll with many crazy siblings (namely Naminé, Roxas, Axel, and Isa) turning her into a sassy girl. Poor Terra was toyed around with - nothing traumatic(?) but otherwise entertaining.
> 
> By this point, Roxas has convinced Ven to open up to the girls, and Naminé has volunteered to help Ven recover more of his hidden memories faster. The four of them are a tight circle of their own - further emphasized how protective of each other they are. I wrote Naminé to be the kind of person who's learning to grow into her powers - still afraid of her power, but otherwise willing to use it if it could protect those she deems important to her.
> 
> Naminé and Terra's friendship was something I feel was an unexpected connection in KH3; to those who didn't know that tidbit, one of the stars Sora talked to in the Final World was Naminé, and she told Sora that she talked to Terra (Lingering Will) to help them out, which was why LW appeared to help them in the battle in the first place. It kinda made sense to try and write Naminé and Terra as friends? They're an interesting pair to write, I had fun with them, especially as I wrote them as a sibling pair.
> 
> What do you think Ven wanted to show and tell the girls though?
> 
> Next chapter in the main storyline is a new world from Sora and Vanitas, escorted by Halcyon. Can anybody guess what world it is? I'll try to upload the chapter in a week or two, so hang tight!
> 
> Leave a comment and kudos, and let's talk! I'd love to hear from my readers!


	6. Chapter 3 - I know I'll wither (So peel away the bark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora, Vanitas, and Halcyon try their hand at being farmers. Sora's excited. Vanitas hates it. Then again, he hate's everything. Or does he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, back with another update! Remember when I said Scala ad Caelum is the world with the longest chapter? Hahahaha. Haha. Ha. Well. I was wrong. This current world had so much written into it that it has well surpassed Scala's word count, and I have had to split it into two or three parts. So. Umm. Haha.
> 
> Anyways, updates will be every two weeks I guess (it's become my regular, I noticed) so I'll take my time revising and editing more of what I've written. As always, art in this chapter is made by me.
> 
> Without further ado, here's chapter 3!

As the light faded, a vast field opened up to view. Grass expanded to the horizon, as far as the eyes could see. Sora found it jarring, but it was a welcome change. Compared to the previous worlds he came from, there were no buildings in sight; just the open fields and blue skies. In the distance, a majestic mountain range rose to touch the clouds, a lush green forest surrounding it.

“Huh. Pretty strange world we landed ourselves in. I can hardly feel any people nearby.”

Sora turned towards the speaker. Vanitas sauntered up to him, stopping by his right and looking towards the general horizon. Sora threw him a questioning look.

“How can you tell?”

“Every world has its dark spots, and as a being of darkness, I can call upon that dark part of the world to wield it as freely as I please. All within reason and my personal limits, of course. I may be hot shit, but I'm not that omnipotent.”

Vanitas tilted his head in Sora’s direction. “That said, within the wide radius I could cast my influence, I can’t sense any people. There are definitely some voids a few distance away that could be potential hordes of Heartless, but other than that, I got nothing.”

“That’s because this world is rather young. It hasn’t had the chance to develop as far as the other worlds have. In comparison to the others, despite being here for some time now, this world’s practically a baby.”

Halcyon carried the rear of their group, standing on Sora’s opposite side. “This world’s not as densely populated too. But the denizens of this world can carry their own.”

“Really? I can’t wait to meet them!” Sora exclaimed, one foot already poised to run in one direction, but was stopped by a sudden yank by the back of his collar. Sora yelped as Vanitas snickered at him.

“Hold on, Sora. You can’t be careless in this world,” Halcyon said, his hand letting go of Sora’s clothes and placing both hands on his waist instead. “Since this world is so young in a way, we’ve been advised not to interact with the world’s inhabitants.”

“What? But why?” Sora whined. Vanitas threw Halcyon a curious gaze.

“One of the reasons is that too much external influence to a young world can damage its development. The main reason though? Is that majority of this world's denizens aren’t human.”

“What, is this world populated by monsters then? Like that world...Monstropolis, was it?” Vanitas drawled.

Halcyon smiled softly, before shaking his head fondly. Sora couldn’t help but notice how fond the older male looked as he turned to look back at the horizon. Had Halcyon been to this world before?

“Not monsters, Vanitas. Dinosaurs.” Halcyon grinned at the two of them. “Welcome to Clawtooth Mountain.”

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

**CLAWTOOTH MOUNTAIN**

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

~

_QUEST: Explore Clawtooth Mountain and look for the nearest landmark._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_55 Heartless DEFEATED_

_20% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

“When you said this world wasn’t densely populated, I wasn’t expecting it to be this empty.”

Sora couldn’t help but whine a little. They’ve been traversing the fields for a few good hours and have now entered the forest. It’s been a few more hours since then, and though the world’s youth manifested itself in the crisp clean air and bursting flora and interesting creatures that dart in and out of their peripheral vision, Sora found the lack of new company a little lonesome.

“Empty? We just skewered a fuckton of Heartless a few minutes ago! Was that not company enough?” Vanitas snarked at him.

“I’m pretty sure when I came to the previous worlds I've been to, a big part of it was spent meeting new people,” Sora retorted.

“You don’t even know that,” Vanitas jumped on a huge root protruding from the ground. He spun once on his heel and lazily jumped in front of Sora. “For all you know, you could have been doing exactly what we’ve been doing for the past hours, just eliminating the Heartless and Nobodies without interfering much with the rest of the world. You could be antisocial before all this lost-memories business,” the darker clad teen sneered.

“I'm pretty sure that’s not the case. Besides, you’re not one to talk; you practically looked out for me when I first got to Scala Ad Caelum,” Sora replied drily, playfully shoving Vanitas away from him.

"In order to _kill_ you. You'd call that sociable?" Van asked. Sora was about to answer him when Halcyon spoke.

“You strike me as someone who easily butts himself into other people’s business, Sora,” Halcyon chuckled, “not that it’s a bad thing, considering our job as Keyblade wielders is to assist the Light. Still, it must be a bummer huh? Not being allowed to interact with the world’s denizens.”

“Yeah,” Sora deflated, but perked up again. “I hadn’t questioned it before, but you’ve been leading us this whole time and haven’t said where to.”

“Where _are_ you taking us exactly?” Vanitas inquired. Sora thought Van sounded a little arch towards the other Keyblade wielder. Sora sort of got why though; Halcyon was a bright person – “too much light inside him” Vanitas would probably say – and being who he is, Vanitas was just probably generally averse to people like him.

It doesn’t explain the two of them though, regardless of their history. Sora could say he and Van tolerate each other pretty well now.

“There’s a clearing just a few hours away. It’s a dinosaur family who’ve settled down and built a farm to sustain themselves – it’s amazing really! – and I’ve appointed myself as their personal guardian. They aren’t exactly equipped to fight this world’s invaders, so I thought I’d look out for them, even if they didn’t know of me.”

“Wow! That sounds interesting, and that’s really nice of you to do!” Sora beamed at the older male.

“Kinda pointless though,” Vanitas scoffed, “what do you even get out of doing something like that?”

“Helping is an act that’s a reward in itself, Vanitas. You’re granted the power to help protect the worlds - isn't that a high honor most don't get to have?” Halcyon replied, skipping over a loose root in the way without turning back towards them.

“Spoken like someone who’s never had much reason to be a little selfish,” Sora heard Vanitas mumble to himself. Sora wanted to say something about it, but didn't know what the right words were. Lauriam's accounts on him were pretty much just general overviews of who he knew he was, what he did, who his friends were, and where he went; Lauriam didn't tell him an accurate description of who Sora was as a person.

Besides, Sora kind of liked following Halcyon and Vanitas around, having to not be the one to lead a party around for once. This time, _he_ was the reliable supporting character, like Donald and Goofy, not bearing the responsibility of making the big choices. Even though he shouldn't feel this way, he liked having no memory of all the things and responsibilities he needed to do and fulfil. It surprised him, when the thought of it first took root in him in Traverse Town, when Halcyon delegated him and Vanitas as wave clearers rather than the main line of offense. It felt nice to have someone else to rely on for the big stuff for once.

He realized that he liked this strange limbo he found himself in, trying to rediscover the kind of person he is without the pressure of a deadline or inevitable confrontation looming over him, without the pressure of having to make choices he felt too young for him to make. It kind of felt like a freedom from everything.

An escape.

So it didn't feel right for him to berate Vanitas about selfishness, or agree with Halcyon on being selfless, not when this new Sora he was becoming was just as selfish as well.

Still, he liked how Halcyon went out of his way to protect others even without compensation or reward. It was noble, and Sora wanted to be noble too, despite his apparent selfishness at being the secondary character this time.

"Maybe it's his way of being selfish, doing the noble thing. Or is that pride?" Sora offered his look-alike.

Vanitas threw him a thoughtful look.

"Huh," he grunted, "could be both. Still a pretty shitty reason to offer free and unnoticed service." Vanitas gave Sora a less than critical once over. "You know, despite knowing you to be quite gullible, you're surprisingly astute with people in general."

Sora laughed. "Trust me, I'm probably more surprised at that fact than anyone else."

~

When Halcyon lead them to the edge of what could be safely established as a fence, Sora stared at the plot of land before them. It was expansive; a huge stone house roofed by dried grass hung by the farthest perimeter of the property. In the middle of their property, a crop field spanned for a quite an area, an area big enough that even Sora could see the huge dinosaurs working quite hard on it.

 

 

"What are they doing?" Sora asked.

"Right around this time is harvest season. They'll probably clear the field and plough it to grow new crops before winter comes this year," Halcyon explained.

"Overgrown lizards that know how to farm - one really doesn't see it all until he's met with the sight of a dinosaur using his head to plough land and grow crops. Literally." Vanitas quipped.

"Essentially, this world's nature was that of a world where the dinosaurs flourished and the humans were a minority. It would only make sense that the dinosaurs learn self-sustainability," Halcyon answered him.

"By learning how to farm?" Sora asked.

"That doesn't make a lick of sense. At all." Vanitas deadpanned.

Halcyon chuckled. Sora could kind of tell that the older male agreed with them, but didn't offer further commentary. Instead, Sora and company settled for watching a young dinosaur come running out of the coup, absolutely terrified of a grisly looking wild chicken chasing him out, before promptly clucking at the poor dinosaur and returning back inside the coup.

"Who're they?" Sora asked, turning to Halcyon. "Do they have names?"

"Yes," the elder man chuckled, "the older dinosaurs are called Henry and Ida. Those are their kids: Buck’s the eldest, the middle child is Libby, and Arlo’s the youngest."

"The fuck does a dinosaur have any business being called _Henry_? That sounds like a tool's name." Vanitas complained in his irritated tone.

"He can be named however the hell he wants, now shut up before we're overheard," Halcyon told Vanitas in a flat voice. Despite his words, Halcyon's delivery sounded more gentle chastising than aggressive and Vanitas, thankfully, listened. Sora shifted his attention back to the youngest dinosaur, Arlo, running in panic towards the river.

Thankfully, his father caught him in time, extending his long tail to stop Arlo from accidentally falling into the river rapids.

“Whoa! The river’s not something you mess around with there, Arlo, be careful! What’s the problem?”

“Papa, Henrietta is the _worst one_ in the coup!” Arlo hissed.

“Yesterday, you said Footless Fran was the worst.” the bigger dinosaur replied drily.

“ _He’s only got. One. Foot!”_ the youngest Apatosaurus replied vehemently.

Henry chuckled. “You don’t have to like them all, Arlo. You just have to feed them.”

"Looks to me you should just feed the squirt to the chicken. Thing's got teeth in its beak, yeesh," Vanitas muttered. Halcyon gave Vanitas a mortified look, and although Sora didn't really get Van's dark brand of humor, he couldn't help but smile at the exchange between his two companions.

Henry turned away and dumped the corn they collected for the day into the silo, and sealed it with a stone.  “That should do it. Now this’ll stop them rotten critters from stealing our food. Cause I made this silo 100% critter-proof.”

“Put your mark on there, Henry. You earned it.” Ida told him.

His children cheered. Henry chuckled before looking softly at his wife. Even at a distance, Sora's surprised at how expressive Henry's face is, despite his reptilian features. Henry nudged Ida playfully, earning a soft smile back.

“Only if your momma does it first. If anyone’s earned a mark around here, it’s her.”

Momma Ida nodded at Henry, and dips her foot into a layer of mud. She then carefully stands on her hind legs and puts her foot on one of the stones on the silo, leaving behind a clear footprint on it. Henry does the same after Ida, and they both look at it proudly.

Ida, of course, doesn't miss minor details. “Did you just put your mark higher than mine?”

Henry gave her an amused look, even throwing in some narrowed eyes for an appraising look. “What? _No_ , it’s just the angle you’re looking at it.”

“The angle, huh?” Ida nudged Henry and elicited another soft laugh from him. Sora felt his chest squeeze at the ease of their interaction. It was like he could see the years behind their exchanges, and he is suddenly assaulted by another memory of him and Riku, playing on the beach with a girl with red hair.

Kairi. Her name is Kairi.

He could see their wide smiles and bright eyes - Riku's turquoise and Kairi's cerulean - and before he could get lost in the memory, he is pulled back to the present, only a little out of breath and his heart beating fast.

"Sora, you okay?" Halcyon asked him, sounding concerned.

"Just another memory, don't worry," Sora smiled at him, though it felt strained. His eyes met Van's, to which the boy only quirked an eyebrow at him and looked away. Sora could tell Vanitas will ask about it later.

Sora heard the children clamor to make their mark.

“Now, hold on – it’s not that easy," Henry began, "you gotta _earn_ your mark by doing something big, for something bigger than yourself."

Henry looked each of his children in the eye with a fond gaze. "Someday you’ll all make your mark, and I can’t wait to see it.”

 _The Mark of Mastery_ , another set of words set a chain of memories tumbling into Sora's head. He visibly winced but was otherwise unbothered by the sudden and unbidden influx of memories. These ones felt like they were recent, but without the context of it, it was just a mess of memories that don't make sense to him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Halcyon look at him with concern.

"I'm fine," Sora said, his voice sounding surprisingly like he was actually okay, "just remembering a lot of stuff."

~

Later that night, their group settled at a hidden clearing by the forest's edge; far enough that they could make fire without drawing attention to themselves, but close enough to the Apatosaurus family to respond to trouble if it arose.

Halcyon summoned a huge tent for them to sleep in, and proceeded to set it up. Sora resolved himself to start a campfire upon Hal’s prompting.

As Sora picked up loose twigs on the forest floor and formed a ring of rocks to surround his wood pile, Van shadowed him, kicking twigs in his way for Sora to pickup. When Sora asked him to actually help, Van summoned a Flood Unversed and had it collect dried twigs and leaves for him.

"That's cheating." Sora frowned. Van flipped him his middle finger, which confused Sora since he didn't know what that meant. He repeated the gesture and showed it to Vanitas, then asked the boy what it meant.

Vanitas only stared at him before chuckling, his face looking like he's struggling not to laugh too hard. "It's a greeting of sorts. It has other meanings, like 'yes, I agree' and 'whatever you say' - it changes meaning depending on the context of the conversation."

Sora didn't like the mischievous note in Van's voice. "Sounds like a lie, but I guess I'll take your word for it."

Van grinned deviously. "That's all I ask."

~

Halcyon made dinner that night. Sora is amazed at how well Halcyon could cook with their limited resources, but then again, he supposed that just comes with the experience of being a Dandelion for years.

"So, since there aren't any immediate threats cropping up, you two will be staying with me for a while in this world," Halcyon told them as he chewed on his barbeque. Sora didn't ask what meat the older man used, only knowing that it wasn't dinosaur meat and that it was some poor innocent woodland creature. Sora didn't want to think of it too much. He recalled earlier with a stray memory of two of his little friends, Chip and Dale, and he doesn't like the idea of having their distant relatives for dinner.

 _Okay Sora, that's a headspace you do_ not _want to go to_. He shook his head and refocused his attention on the current conversation, taking a bite out of his questionable barbeque.

"What the fuck are we supposed to do here?" Van asked, voice neutral despite his harsh words.

"In general? Beat Heartless, collect Lux, watch over the Apatosaurus family." Halcyon replied.

"For how long?" Sora asked.

Halcyon took a hand to his chin and paused to think. "Until I deem that the both of you can travel to other worlds without me. For whatever reason, fate - or Lauriam - has it, you both are under my responsibility. So that means I have to help train you to at least a level you can survive out there without wanting to kill each other."

"I can't fight those urges if Sora does something stupid, so you're not getting any promises out of me." Vanitas deadpanned.

"I guess that's okay," Sora nodded, a thoughtful look crossing his face, "I mean, I'm not ready to go out there myself at the moment. I think it'd be nice to just stay here and train for the mean time."

Halcyon smiled at him. "That's great. From what Lauriam's told us of you, you haven't gotten a break for a long time. Maybe staying here can be a productive downtime while you recover your memories."

Vanitas threw his empty skewer into the campfire before them, the stick making a crackling noise. "As long as there's something to fight, I'm good. Me and ole twinsie here will get along just fine."

The older male gave Van a skeptical look, before nodding thoughtfully. "As long as you don't stir up too much trouble."

"Me? Stirring up trouble?" Van smirked. "You wound me, Hal. Such accusations could break my maiden heart."

" _You_ would be more likely to wound _me_ than the other way around," Halcyon drily rebuked, "and nothing about you is in any way a _maiden_."

Sora chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll save you when it comes to that!"

"Oh, my hero," Van rolled his eyes, "you send my maiden heart aflutter."

~

The following morning, Halcyon took Sora and Van to see the Apatosaurus family's farm more closely.

"Woooooooow! That's so cool! They did all of this so well! Henry and Ida really taught their kids well!"

"Yeah," Halcyon replied, a hint of pride in his voice, "awesome right? They managed to cultivate crops to feed themselves here instead of foraging out into the forest where it's much more dangerous. They've gotten really smart since the last long while I was here."

"How long was that long while?" Sora asked. A stuttered look crossed the elder male's face before flashing Sora a genuine smile that didn't quite reach his ears.

"Very long," he replied quietly, "but I'm glad I'm back. Back then, this world had another name: The Great Valley. It was one of the first worlds that existed, considered to be a land before time."

"Oh, guess this means this world's pretty old huh?" Sora asked. “But didn’t you say this world’s considered young?” Sora’s question even piqued Van’s interest from beside him.

“It’s old in terms of actual age, but when it comes to world development, this one’s been left behind. That tends to happen to Sleeping Worlds.”

“Sleeping Worlds?”

“Basically, when a world has fallen to darkness and has not fully revived to the Realm of Light, they are called Sleeping Worlds. They’re unique, as they are unaffected by time and untainted by darkness. Reaching them isn’t easy, and it takes great risk and skill to reach them.

“Sleeping Worlds are like “dream worlds”, often depicting the state of the worlds before they were consumed. This is why they are unaffected by time – they are trapped in a loop, an almost never-ending dream of what once was, and even those not within the world when it was consumed in darkness are recreated in them, simply because that is how the Sleeping World remembers them.”

“...Are...are we in a Sleeping World, Halcyon?” Sora asked quietly, looking straight at him.

"...In a way, yeah."

“What do you mean?” Vanitas asked.

“Long ago, a Foreteller was tasked to safeguard the future of the Light. And so in her efforts to do so, she had sent her Dandelions to a far-off world – the land that is neither here nor there, but from where the worlds spring forth – an impossible yet persisting timeline, alongside the one it has meant to part from,” Halcyon replied, almost in a trance.

“What...does that mean? Who are you talking about?” Sora asked.

Halcyon shook his head. “You’ll get your answers some day. But you won’t get them from me; you should get the answers somewhere for yourself. The issue at hand right now is the Apatosaurus farm.” Hal turned back from them and pointed to the land before them.

“What do you guys think? Awesome right?”

“Eh, it’s passable,” Vanitas quipped after he recovered from the earlier topic of conversation, “I can see a few areas they forgot about.”

Halcyon glared at Vanitas before looking in the direction he was facing. Sora did as well, and noticed what Vanitas was talking about: there was a part of the field that was clearly part of their property that the kids, Buck and Libby, had clearly overlooked, and for good reason - there were dark wisps coming from the ground. The wisps emanated a dark energy that put off plants and animals away from it, a frenetic aura around it that promised trouble. Even from a distance, Sora could feel the darkness coming off of it.

"Voids," Vanitas expounded, "just as I told you. They'll produce hordes of Heartless if left to itself."

“Strange. You said we were sort of in a Sleeping World, and you also said they can’t be tainted by the darkness. But, if that’s true, then why are the Heartless here?” Sora asked.

“You answered your question, Sora. We’re in a _sort-of_ Sleeping World. It’s a little different than your standard Sleeping World,” Halcyon tossed him a secretive smile.

“That doesn’t even explain anything!” Sora groaned exasperatedly. Vanitas smirked form beside him.

“Your questions aside Sora, I guess we better help out a little after dark,” Halcyon sighed, “we’d be too obvious helping in the daytime. After we resolve the voids, we got to help them farm the land.”

“Does this mean we get to be farmers?” Sora asked excitedly. Halcyon chuckled.

“No Sora, it means we’re getting mandatory unpaid labor,” Vanitas sassed back.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless and destroy the dark voids producing Heartless._

_QUEST: Plow the land Buck missed to work on._

_QUEST: Water the crops that Libby forgot to tend to._

_QUEST: Scare off the pests trying to destroy the crops._

~

They stayed as the season drew out, days spanning into weeks. Sora and Vanitas fell into a routine as time passed, Halcyon giving them directions to cull the Heartless and subtly help out around the farm. Vanitas caused the occasional confrontation every now and then, which Halcyon redirected into monitored fights between the three of them, just to keep in shape against an opponent who wasn't a Heartless.

The monotony of it all didn't yield Sora to recall any more memories, and Halcyon’s avoidance of the topic of Sleeping Worlds frustrated him, but strangely enough, he was fine with it.

His newfound normal with Van and Halcyon was welcome, and on some nights he went to bed after a day of helping out at the farm, he could almost convince himself that this was really his life, that the Keyblade he wielded was just a bonus perk.

But every time he'd turn his head, he'd come to look at Van's disgruntled sleeping expression, and he'd be reminded that this wasn't really his to have at all, and that one day, in the future, he'd have to leave this world and be the Warrior of Light he was told he was meant to be.

Sora doesn't detest it, but he can't help but wish that these normal days won't end too soon.

~

“Arlo. Arlo! Wake up.”

“Huh?” Arlo stirred from his slumber beside his Momma. Opening his eyes, he's met with the sight of his father, looking at him with fond eyes.

“Come with me.”

Without much prompting, his Papa led them outside to a vacant field. The night had grown dark and the surrounding areas silent, save for the distant hum of crickets and the sounds of their feet trudging along the grass.

“Where are we going?” Arlo asked.

“You’ll see.” His Papa replied. After walking a distance, they stop in the middle of the dark field. “Okay, now take a walk out there," his Papa prompted Arlo.

“By myself?” the young dinosaur asked, sounding nervous.

“Go on.”

Arlo manages a few steps forward before a bug crept on his nose. “Papa! Papa!” he cried.

“Calm down. Breathe.” Henry blew on the bug on Arlo’s nose, which set it flying, lighting with a beautiful glow as it lazily circled in the air.

“Sometimes, you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.”

~

Sora, Vanitas, and Halcyon watched the father and son play in the field with the fireflies before they headed back inside to sleep. Sora couldn't help but look excited towards the field; the entire scene they just witnessed looked softly enchanted in a way.

Vanitas could tell Sora wanted in on that too.

Apparently Sora's excitement was showing too much, as he heard Halcyon chuckle beside him. "Go on Sora, not much is happening tonight anyway. You and Vanitas can go and play, I can take care of some rogue Heartless by myself tonight."

Without issuing a reply, Sora grabbed Van's hand and dashed forward, dragging Van's unwilling ass with him, Sora's delighted laughter trailing after them. He turned to glance at Halcyon behind them, softly smiling as he waved at them from the growing distance.

The fucking geezer wasn’t even doing anything to stop Sora’s idiocy, the fucker.

When they reached the field, Sora let go of his hand and bounded for the field, sending a few fireflies flying in the air. Sora turned around to look behind him. Vanitas stood where Sora left him, giving him a judgmental look.

"Has anybody ever told you how much of a child you are?" Vanitas asked condescendingly. It didn't faze Sora at all.

"Maybe. I don't exactly remember. Maybe that Riku-person did. It seemed like something he'd tell me."

"He'd be right. Despite Halcyon’s permission, we're supposed to keep watch Sora, not play around."

Sora gave him this kind of sad look, and Vanitas felt a little offended. It was bad enough Sora knew of his failing grasp of his Keyblade, he didn't want to give the boy another reason to look down on him.

Honestly, this entire thing was too much for Vanitas, it was ridiculous. He and Sora were basically babysitting a bunch of dinosaurs under the watch of an older Keyblade wielder. He’s started to wonder if it was too late to go back to trying to whack Sora in the head to jog his memories when the boy turned around and put his hands behind his head.

He looked lost in thought, a smile on his face. Vanitas decided to hold his tongue as Sora spoke.

"When I was child," Sora began, "from what little I could remember, I used to run along the beach, and play in the water with my friends. I don't remember who they were, or what exactly we were playing or doing at all, but one memory sticks out the most.

"It was a clear night, and I was at the beach. I think I was with someone, but the thing I remember most was what we were waiting for. I was staring at the night sky when _zoom_!” – Sora made a zooming gesture with his hands – “A star came shooting across the sky, and just seconds later, tens and  hundreds of stars followed! The sky was full of shooting stars. It's...it’s a good memory. That’s what I remembered when we watched Arlo and his dad earlier."

Vanitas was silent for a moment. He took in the gentle smile on Sora’s face. "Hundreds of stars? Sounds like an exaggeration. It was probably like 20 or 30 comets."

Sora huffed. "Maybe? Does it matter how many there actually were? That wasn't exactly the point of why I shared that with you."

"Then what is your point?"

“It’s a nice memory to have. I just want to give you one.” Vanitas laughed at how simple Sora sounded.

“I’ll stay here. I’m good with not making a foolish memory of myself, thanks.”

"You never really had a childhood, did you?"

Vanitas knew that any other person who him told this would mean it to be cruel. From Sora though? It sounded sad, not pitying, but rather like he was sad for the other person's behalf. This was him, and this was Sora - this was just who they were, the good guy and the bad guy.

"No. I was just a part of Ventus once, and then I wasn't. I just was. I followed orders and fought people. I'm not exactly complicated."

"Don’t you want that? A childhood?” Sora asked.

Vanitas considered it for a moment. “Nah. I don’t have much use to be weak when there are other things I’d rather be and do. And we're past the point of having something like that, don't you think? With all the things we've seen and done.”

“Having a childhood isn’t a weakness,” Sora replied, “it’s something to enjoy looking back on. Like Arlo will, when he’s older and looks back at the memory of playing with the fireflies with his dad.”

“I don’t see the appeal of it. Besides, can you imagine me doing stuff you said you did?”

“Yeah, pretty easy, we have the same face after all.”

“Hardly. I’m quite more good looking than you are.”

“Hah? No way!”

Vanitas rolled his eyes at Sora’s indignant expression.

“Everyone deserves a childhood, Vanitas. Even you.”

Vanitas closed his eyes. In the back of his mind, he can hear his heart break when he and Ventus were separated, Xehanort’s voice telling him his mission to forge the X-blade. It all felt so far away in the past now, but the pain and struggles from all those years haven't faded. Some wounds never really heal, he's found out. He's much too twisted to hope he could hold something pure a concept such as _childhood_.

“Not me,” he whispered to himself.

He could hear Sora walk over towards him, and just as he flicked his eyes open, Sora grabbed one of his arms and dragged him forward at a sedate pace. He pulled his arm back slowly, twisting around to try and get out of Sora’s grip.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Vanitas asked him in a low voice.

Sora just smiled before taking out his summon charm. He tossed it in the air as it glowed a gentle white light, and Sora materialized his Keyblade to perform his summon.

“ _Meow Wow!_ ”

In a flash of light, the dream Spirit materialized beside Sora, tackling its summoner in fierce cuddles. Sora laughed with delight as Meow Wow buried its head in his chest. “All right! All right! Hey, Meow Wow, go and bounce around the meadow!”

Without much prompting, the Spirit lifted off of Sora and bounced away towards the grassy meadow. The Spirit’s movements brushed the grass around it, sending dozens of fireflies flying in the air. Vanitas heard Sora laugh in delight before chasing after Meow Wow, sending fireflies flying in his wake.

It was a little surreal, like everywhere Sora walked, a flood of light followed him, the fireflies not just randomly flying around, but it was if they were dancing around him, like they thought Sora was a firefly too, with all the light he held inside him. Vanitas summoned his Keyblade and chanted a short spell, opting not to chase after Sora and his Spirit.

“ _Aerora!_ ”

A gentle gust of wind swept the field in all directions, and like the field slowly came alive, countless fireflies flew above the field, their sheer number and dance of light in the air looking as if the stars came down from the sky. A few fireflies spun around Vanitas, and despite his stance on not playing around earlier, he couldn’t help but put his unoccupied hand out for one of the fireflies to land on.

Unbidden, his Unversed, Gaudium, flit before him, the fireflies’ lights bouncing beautifully over its golden scale. Gaudium flew in slow circles in the air, playing with the fireflies, who seemed just as eager to play with it.

A distance away in front of him, he saw Sora laughing as he swung Meow Wow around, the air full of a soft yellow glow making the scene somehow precious.

It was a strange feeling, Vanitas mused, how light he felt.

 

 

 

“Ah!” he heard Sora exclaim, “I knew it! You _can_ smile like that!”

Vanitas didn’t know what Sora meant, but he knew he was making fun of him. A scowl immediately came on his face. “Fuck off! I do what I want!”

“Aww,” Sora pouted, “and it was such a nice smile too. You looked really happy.” He threw Vanitas another of those soft smiles. Vanitas didn’t know what to do when Sora looked at him like that.

“Shut up.”

Sora chuckled. In the distance, they could hear Meow Wow and Gaudium play with the remaining fireflies still in the air. After a few moments, most of the fireflies have gone, most likely gone to look for places to rest undisturbed. A few still lingered here and there, no longer looking like the heavens touched the ground, but like wisps of magic trailing around them.

“What'd you think? A happy memory, right?” Sora asked him, his voice almost a whisper.

Vanitas felt an involuntary upward pull on his lips. The light feeling in his chest was back again as he mulled over a second ago: the fireflies, Sora’s laughter, his eyes on the boy who everyone thought belonged in the dark.

It filled him with an indescribable feeling, like the fireflies, for whatever light they carried, welcomed him, all because Sora took his time with him.

Vanitas dispelled his Keyblade and looked at the meadow, watching as the last of fireflies disappeared back into the grass, their soft lights gently drifting down. Gaudium had disappeared in the wake of the firelflies. He heard Sora dismiss Meow Wow as well, with a hearty thanks, as he stood beside Vanitas.

Still looking at him, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah. Thanks, or whatever.”

Sora beamed at him. “Anytime!”

~

Henry has given Arlo a new job the following day. Sora and company watched the older dinosaur explain to Arlo his new task, and made sure to stay hidden close by.

“The dang wilderness critter’s coming over the fence, eatin’ our food, and I’ve had enough to my snout!” Henry told his son, kicking away a consumed corncob on the ground. “If this keeps up, we won’t have enough food to survive the winter,” Henry then smiled at Arlo, a encouraging look in his eyes, “and that’s why you are gonna catch that critter.”

The rest of the day, they watch Henry and Arlo set up an elaborate trap to catch the critter, showing exactly how Henry expects Arlo to get rid of their troubles.

“I’ll take care of the critter Papa. It won’t stand a chance!”

Sora heard Vanitas snicker under his breath. “More like the other way around.”

~

Vanitas was right – Arlo fucked it up.

“The wilderness critter’s just a boy!” Sora whispered loudly to him. “Of course Arlo was going to hesitate going in for the kill!”

“I don’t know; it was his job to get rid of the thing. If he hadn’t done his job properly, wouldn’t that mean the critter would eat them out of a food supply, because Arlo couldn’t keep the balance?” Van replied, arching an eyebrow at Halcyon. The older wielder sighed, but didn’t disagree.

“As cold and heartless as it sounds, yeah, you’re right, Vanitas,” Halcyon spoke. Sora was about to protest, but Halcyon continued. “But keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule. Arlo didn’t see the critter as some pest, but as a fellow living thing. To Arlo, the critter was something he did not understand. This is where his fear stemmed from, his incapacity to comprehend a fellow living creature, and a part of him hesitated not just because he was afraid, but because he wanted to understand something he didn’t."

Halcyon’s gaze shifted back to him and Sora pointedly, like his words had a double meaning.

“Arlo saw the critter as a real person,” Sora murmured. Vanitas rolled his eyes at him.

“Well yeah, dipshit. The critter’s _literally_ a person.”

Sora and the rest of them watched as Arlo fumbled over himself as the boy-critter escaped, and Henry scolded Arlo for failing to his job. With a resolute look in his eyes, Henry dragged Arlo forwards to give chase to the creature. They went over the fence as dark clouds rolled in and started to rain.

“We’re gonna finish your job right now.” Henry said heavily. Sora had a bad feeling about this.

~

They followed Arlo and Henry as they climbed the mountain, following the tracks that the critter-boy left behind. It began to rain in earnest, clouds rolling in fast, thunder and lightning crackling across the sky.

Henry pushed for Arlo to move faster amidst the storm, as the rain was beginning to erase the tracks left by the boy-critter, but the young dinosaur grew increasingly distressed by the storm – by the lightning – that he had missed his footing and injured himself upon stumbling on a particularly obtrusive sharp rock.

Realizing he had pushed too hard to make Arlo face his fears, Henry comforted the young dinosaur, and apologized to his son for his rough treatment.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted you to... get through your fear. I know you got it in you,” Henry told his son.

“I’m not like you,” Arlo replied sadly.

Henry looked at Arlo with a steely yet soft gaze. “You’re me, and more.”

As another burst of lightning flashed, Henry realized how truly bad the weather had become, and knew it was time to go back.

As the two dinosaurs made their way down the mountain, Sora heard the familiar shifts in the air that spoke trouble. Halcyon immediately had his Keyblade drawn as Sora followed suit, Vanitas doing the same from beside him.

“So the storm’s bringing some heavy showers and a smattering of Heartless,” Van drawled, “what say we play weathermen and have ourselves a merry time in the rain?”

“I’d say we better party hard – we got to escort Henry and Arlo down the mountain without putting them in the Heartless’ sights,” Halcyon replied.

Sora nodded and dropped to a battle stance. “You got it!”

~

_QUEST: Defend Arlo and his father from the Heartless as they go down the mountain._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_173 Heartless DEFEATED_

_25% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

~

Halcyon dashed forwards, his Keyblade slicing through Heartless left and right as he tried catching up with Henry and Arlo. The rain wasn't letting up; by this point, the storm had completely moved in, and it began raining even harder.

Behind him, he could hear Vanitas staying close, following him, his frustrated yelling at Sora to keep up had further rattled Hal's nerves. The river's rising tide beside them didn't help matters - the water was quickly lapping up ground, forcing them to continuously seek higher ground as they went down the mountain.

It was a disaster, Halcyon thought, nothing could have been more ill-timed as this storm as they went up the mountain earlier. He wished he foresaw this, that he could've done something to prevent things from going wrong even though he resolved not to interfere too much with this world's events.

It can't get any worse, he bitterly thought.

And then it did.

A torrent of water burst from behind them – a mountain flash flood – gaining speed and ground on them, indiscriminately taking down trees, rocks, and Heartless in its wake.

"FUCKING GODDAMMIT!" He heard Vanitas curse loudly. Seconds later, he felt rough hands grab him by the collar of his jacket, hauling him up. He turned around to see it was an armored humanoid-shaped Unversed, and that Vanitas had summoned them to help them clear the waves of Heartless and debris in their way to reach higher ground.

"Papa!"

This was how Halcyon would remember it: just as Vanitas had his Unversed take him and Sora to higher ground, the waters had rushed down the river, missing them by a second. Arlo had gone to higher ground, pushed up over the rocks by Henry.

And Henry-

Henry hadn't made it.

Halcyon would remember Sora screaming for Henry and Arlo, and Vanitas holding off Sora from chasing the body that the rushing flood claimed. He would remember the sound of roaring thunder and crashing waters recede to white noise in his ears, the only thing he could hear was Arlo's pained cries.

~

They discretely escorted Arlo down the mountain and back home.

By nightfall, Halcyon instructed the exhausted Sora and Vanitas to rest, and spent the hours following the river downstream, looking for a body.

There was none to be found.

~

When he woke up, he was back at the campsite, Sora curled up beside him, his hand clutched tightly around his waist. Vanitas sat by the entrance of their tent, his eyes lazily flicking between outside and him and Sora, stoically standing guard.

"That was stupid, what you did last night," the boy told him in a low voice, most likely not to wake Sora up, "you should know better than to wander aimlessly in the dark alone. The Heartless would've gotten the drop on you."

"I was fine," Halcyon croaked, his voice hoarse from screaming Henry’s name last night, hoping for a response, not caring at the moment if he was breaching his own ban on interacting with the world’s denizens, "I had it under control."

Vanitas snorted, clearly disbelieving. "Sure you did."

Hal sighed. "I'm a failure, aren't I?"

Vanitas didn't miss a beat. "Yeah. A pretty epic one, too. You couldn't protect your charge and gave yourself in to grief, and then had your _other_ charge look for you in the middle of the night to fucking retrieve you."

"Did you find him?" Hal asked. "Did you find Henry?"

"You mean his dead body? No." Vanitas replied, not mincing his words. "Sora insisted we look after your stupid ass after we realized you didn't go to sleep with us last night. We found you fucking passed out a few miles from camp. Dragged your sorry ass back here and Sora hadn't let go of you since. Twinsie's been afraid he lost you too."

A painfully hollow feeling gripped Halcyon's chest. He really pulled a reckless move last night, didn't he? He looked down at Sora who was still settled beside him, and he's painfully reminded that he's responsible for Sora and Vanitas. He can't go MIA like that with them.

Hal's face returned to Vanitas. "You don't seem bothered about it."

"About what? Henry's death? Your general well-being? Everyone else's emotional stability? Or death in general?" Vanitas shrugged. "Not really, no. I couldn't care less about your baggage, I got enough of my own. Why should I care about your shit?"

"So none of this affects you. At all." Halcyon eyed him, feeling drained. He didn't know why he expected sympathy from Vanitas of all people.

But much like Sora, Vanitas surprised him with his answer.

"Don't be stupid. Of course it affects me - simply because it affects Sora. I feel his emotions bleeding into me, and right now, he's upset. Personally, Sora's emotions can be too much - I don't care much for it to be fucking honest. Emotions are a whole lotta shit I don't want to get into."

Vanitas rearranged himself to stand up, flipping the tent's flap open to exit. "If you're taking advice from me though? Don't do stupid shit like what you did last night again. It's a bother. Honestly." And on that note, Vanitas made his exit and left Halcyon to his silence.

Halcyon regarded Vanitas in the early morning light. He once told Sora that he thought Vanitas would be a great Keyblade wielder. To be honest, he hadn't fully meant it, and only said it to Sora to cheer him up. It's not that he thought Vanitas was a bad guy, but he hadn't known the guy enough to truly mean to say Vanitas could be a "great" Keyblade wielder.

Vanitas didn’t exactly inspire a good first impression either.

But now, in the face of the dark-haired boy's prickly sense of what could be debatably called _concern_ , he wonders if maybe his own cynicism was disproved by his earlier words. It may have been more concern for Sora than him, but in his own way, Vanitas has shown to care about someone other than himself.

Vanitas may not care about him, or Arlo and his family, or humanity in general, but he does care about Sora. He figures that Vanitas _is_ a being of darkness, but that he also, by some miracle, possesses a speck of light inside him; maybe not enough to be a shining beacon or example to follow, but just big enough for a little caring to take root in his dark heart.

It wasn’t much, Halcyon mused, but it was enough. He knew of course, that even just a speck of light in the dark went a long way.

Halcyon listened to the soft huffs coming from beside him, Sora still deeply asleep and clinging tightly to him. He's suddenly reminded of the terrible fact that Sora is still just a child, barely 17, and he's probably seen too much death for someone his age.

He knows he did at his age. After all, 15 is a pretty young age to watch your friends die in front of you one by one in a war he didn't understand.

Halcyon lied back down and turned to face Sora, pulling him close and burying the boy's head close to his chest. He may not be Sora's parent, but he'll be damned if he doesn't at least try to protect Sora from whatever horrors are left out there while he's still around.

He listened to Vanitas puttering outside, probably patrolling their perimeter to take out some Heartless, and he closed his eyes again and breathed in, going back to sleep and waiting for the grief to pass.

~

Sora dreams of mountain floods. He dreams of stormy seas and warring ships. He remembers Will Turner. It’s not a pleasant dream.

~

Sora hears of soft whispers and gentle hands carding through his hair, words like _it's okay, it's okay, you're fine, Sora, I got you, we got you_ lulling him back to sleep.

He falls back to sleep with arms around him, deep, warm laughter in one ear and a softly whispered _needy dumbass_ in his other. He falls back into dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right folks, it's Clawtooth Mountain from the Good Dinosaur. Was it unexpected? Probably. In an earlier fic I did I mentioned Clawtooth Mountain being an interesting world if it became part of KH lore, and with the way I wrote the story with the trio "not interacting" with Arlo and the rest? Well, let's just say there's more to that than what Hal said. Haha.
> 
> Okay let’s talk about a few things.
> 
> The art is one of the reasons this chapter took a bit long to upload. The group shot of the trio was so hard to nail, that even the final result still left me unsatisfied. Ugh. Personally, I like the pencil sketch of Sora that I did – it had a kind of happy dream-like quality, the way Sora was drawn in just pencil that inking couldn't really give off. Vanitas during the firefly scene was a delight to do however – it’s my favourite piece so far, aside from the costume sketches.
> 
> On the topic of Sleeping Worlds, Halcyon has dropped a major revelation – they are in a Sleeping World, indirectly confirming that they are in fact in the Realm of Sleep. He even provided a nice explanation of what a Sleeping World essentially is. But somehow it’s different for them now? With the existence of Heartless instead of Nightmares? Hmm, Halcyon’s got Dandelion secrets he ain’t telling yet, and I suppose you readers will just have to wait and see what they are. Haha. XD
> 
> The storm disaster scene towards the end basically wrote itself - even Halcyon the OC gets a chance at the spotlight! He's getting a lot of screen time (writer-time? written space? whatever) with this story, I feel like he's become a full-fledged character at this point. JFC why did I do this to an originally-written minor character? Why? Look forward to more Hal-Sora-Van moments though, there's plenty more coming.
> 
> We get a glimpse into more of Sora and Vanitas’ inner thoughts too: Sora’s willingness to take the backseat in missions and Van’s refusal of Nice Things™ for himself. How do you think that’ll affect their future interactions?  
> As usual, your thoughts and comments are welcomed to be heard, so let’s talk!


	7. Chapter 4 - In spite of all my fears (I can see it all so clear)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora, Vanitas, and Halcyon get into a fight, reconcile, and then get high together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm alive! This past few weeks have been really hectic: there's a new project I'm working on at the office at the moment, and on top of that, I'd be resigning from work in a few weeks time since I have to start fixing files and requirements for taking review classes for my board exam next year. I'll also be taking a much needed vacation from working, considering I haven't had time to actually CHILL since I graduated. I love my job, but the accumulated stress has been taking its toll on me over the YEARS and I can feel myself burning out.
> 
> Art for this chapter is again done by me, and I'm actually pleased with how they turned out.
> 
> Anyways, I'd still try to update on time - probably mid-May or 3rd week? I don't know when I'll be free - so without further ado, here's chapter 4!

A few days later, Halcyon went to the field late at night and did his magic. Sora asked what he was doing, and surprisingly, Vanitas kept quiet. He did, however, receive quite the judgemental looks from the boy, especially when morning came and they saw what Hal’s magic did. Sora asked him what had happened, and Hal just sighed as he explained, his Chirithy making its first appearance beside him.

"It's the least we could do," Halcyon said.

"Still, accelerating the crops' growth from weeks to just a couple of days? Pretty disruptive activity, I think," Vanitas raised a brow at the older male.

"With their food supply being constantly consumed by that boy-critter? They wouldn't last the winter, and that would be unbalanced. And we can't actively interfere with the boy-critter, since he's still a denizen of this world. The best we can do is just make things a bit easier for the dinosaur family."

"Seems like a show of clear favoritism." Sora saw what Halcyon was trying to do, but he also had to agree with Van on that front.

"Call it what you will, but I won't abandon them." Hal’s Chirithy gave him a frowning look, showing concern. "We'd still be just watching them from a distance. We're just doing them a favor."

"You know," Vanitas started, "It's exactly self-righteous kind of thinking that ends with you as the villain. Xehanort was a perfect example of that - thinking he was doing everyone a favor by bringing the worlds back to the void, when light and darkness didn't exist."

Halcyon stared at Vanitas, and the boy continued without looking at the older male. "Of course, his little games brought more conflict than it did comfort to the worlds, but that's just what it means to follow through on personal justice. You don’t really care about anything as much anymore."

Sora followed what Vanitas was getting at. "You believe too much in the justice you wield, that you become blind to the things that matter most around you. You don't realize that the good you're trying to do is doing more harm than help, and you become the very thing you hate."

"Then what was I supposed to do?" Halcyon asked in a tired voice.

"Left them alone. Left them to adjust. Left them to get stronger on their own." Van replied, his voice level. "Me and Sora fight all the time, yeah, and look at the result - we become stronger together. You think sadness and pain and misery are things you could live life without, but without those ugly things, how will you hope to learn to appreciate things like joy and triumph? You try so hard to push the darkness away, but you forget that the heart has both light and darkness for balance."

"It's weird to say it, but I agree with Van," Sora chimed in, sounding hesitant at first, but his voice grew in confidence as he pushed forward. "I'm not saying it's ideal, or that suffering is something everyone needs, or suffer through alone, but...I think there are darknesses we just have to win over instead of drive away without ever really knowing. I've been on that side many times, with people beside me to always help, so I know, and it's always made me stronger for it. It makes us more complete in a way, I guess."

Sora made to hold on to Halcyon's arm gently, a comforting gesture, and smiled. "But maybe...maybe we can help them just this once, though. I don't want them to starve, either."

"Alright. Okay." Halcyon chuckled. "Listen to you two. I ended up getting the grown-up lecture thrown at me. You two are smarter than you seem."

“They’ve always been smarter than they seem,” Hal’s Chirithy spoke, “you forget that these two are not your average teenage kids.”

Sora gave Chirithy a thumbs up, as Vanitas merely rolled his eyes. "It’s only because you're being an idiot."

~

In the end, since Ida and the family was having such a hard time harvesting their crops, Halcyon had employed Sora and Vanitas to secretly help out the Apatosaurus family pull out stalks and place it conveniently in areas where they could gather it easily. Sora didn't miss the frustrated look Chirithy threw Halcyon as the creature turned away to do as asked.

Vanitas had a few choice words about working farmhands without pay, but Sora quickly pulled Van away from his longwinded comment about unpaid labor at Halcyon, and the two of them began in earnest to harvest crops.

They kept at it for a few days, with Halcyon waking up the earliest and turning in last. Sora barely had time to talk to the older male, and he felt the immediate distance between them, like Halcyon had withdrawn into himself and shut him out. Sora tried not to think about it – Halcyon had the right to be upset – but it still nagged at him, how he wished Halcyon would talk to them instead of putting them blindly at work.

Vanitas pointed out to him that Halcyon was dripping in emotions of suppressed self-loathing, having a hard time about it, but that as long as Halcyon wasn’t stopping him and Sora from fighting time to time, he couldn’t care less about it.

Sora whacked him on the head for that commentary, and well, one could say that Sora was the one who started the fight that followed that.

Everything was going well, until of course, Arlo “fucked shit up again” according to Vanitas.

Apparently, Arlo had discovered the boy critter eating their food from _inside_ the silo, and had angrily given chase to the boy, going over the fence and wandering near the river.

And really, what did you expect when a clumsy dinosaur chasing an annoying curiosity paid little attention to the rushing rapids of the river behind him?

“Arlo!” Sora stifled a scream. Vanitas merely rolled his eyes. From afar, they saw Halcyon dart to the riverside, Chirithy stumbling along behind him, quickly following Arlo’s unfortunate tumble into the river and the strong currents carrying him away.

“C’mon Sora, we’re on dumbass watch now!” Van told him, and though Sora wanted to protest, well, he really couldn’t argue that they needed to protect Arlo, didn’t they? Vanitas agreed, saying the young dinosaur needed protecting from himself.

Sora kind of wanted to say the same applied to both of them - not that they were dumbasses exactly, but, uh, well...

They sorta _did_ need supervision. A lot. Quite a lot, really. Sora didn't say anything else though - he didn't want to get into another fight with Vanitas, and they had a dinosaur to catch.

~

_QUEST: Follow Arlo's body down the stream._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_246 Heartless DEFEATED_

_36% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

~

They wandered far, far, _far_ from home.

Sora’s back was killing him when morning came, having slept uncomfortably on the ground since they didn’t have their camping materials in their haste to leave and follow Arlo.

The truth was this: they had gone for more than a _day_ following Arlo’s unconscious body down the river. The river had taken Arlo so far away - the waves knocking his head on rocks enough times to keep him unconscious but not dead - and in that stretch of time through winding mountain river passages, Sora was sure that it would take them actual _days_ to get Arlo back home. Halcyon had asked Sora where Vanitas had gone, when the boy disappeared on them very early on in the chase.

Sora remembered Van saying he had another thing to do, and said he’d meet up with them whenever, and slashed his way through Heartless and that was that. That had been many hours ago, and Vanitas had not turned up yet.

“What did Vanitas say he was going to do?” Halcyon asked.

Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t get to ask. There were a lot of Heartless during the time he went off on his own.”

“Goddammit Vani,” Halcyon hissed, sounding incredibly annoyed, “I swear to Light, if he’s causing trouble somewhere to amuse himself, I ought to –”

“You ought to what?”

The two of them jumped, and looked at the source of the voice. It was Vanitas, and his army of Unversed carrying their bags and dismantled tent. Guadium was present as well, flitting lazily near Van's head before zooming over to Sora. To even more of their surprise, Chirithy had gone with Vanitas as well.

“You may have forgotten a few things,” Chirithy said, sounding a little arch. Sora had to wonder where Chirithy’s attitude was coming from. Were Chirithy and Halcyon actually fighting?

The truth as to where Vanitas had gone to quickly sunk in.

“You came back for our supplies,” Halcyon said flatly, though Sora could detect a tone of subdued surprise in his voice.

“Obviously," Van rolled his eyes, "I have no idea where all this came from. We literally left Scala without much of anything. I knew you had a bag with you, but how is your bag so light yet able to carry all this crap?”

“It’s a magic bag, Vanitas. That’s it.” Hal sassed back.

“Fuck your magic bag. Why are there two of them then if they’re so magical?”

“You and Sora would share the other one. I had it prepared for the time the two of you can travel on your own.” Hal replied. Sora gave the older boy a meaningful look, but was ignored since he was still looking at Vanitas.

“Great. How’s the little shit?”

“I’m right here Van,” Sora sighed, “I’m fine.”

“I meant Arlo, dipshit. Did you actually fucking lose him?”

Sora huffed at Vanitas, while the newly arrived boy simply smirked. Halcyon and Chirithy sighed, and the older male pointed to an empty clearing by the riverside, where Arlo’s unconscious body washed up eventually.

“You just left him there? Wow. Cold.” Vanitas raised an eyebrow at Hal.

“After he made us chase him for more than a day and we slept on the cold hard ground last night? I don’t care if the little shit slept half-submerged in the river with just his head above water to breathe, just as long as he doesn’t make us chase him anymore. I’m not paid enough to deal with this shit.” Sora stared at Halcyon – he didn’t expect the older man to swear so unabashedly in front of them.

But then again, they were tired while Vanitas looked fresh as daisy. He probably kept the tent to himself and slept in it last night before finding them. The _asshole_.

"You don’t get paid for this hero shit, _period._ Free labor’s a bitch, ain’t it?” Vanitas cackled.

"I wasn't aware you had such opinions about labor. Speaking from experience?" Sora asked drily.

"Xehanort's a bitch employer, now that I've got the time to think about it. All his demands and no benefits," Van rolled his eyes as he strode over to them, the Unversed carrying their things following him. "I suppose I was a masochist like that."

"You're also a sadist, don't forget." Sora added.

"Kinky little thing, aren't I? And you would know," And then Van _waggled his eyebrows at him_.

Sora must've made quite the face because Van and Halcyon burst out laughing, the older male sounding like he was having trouble breathing and clutching his stomach. Beside him, Gaudium zoomed about, letting squeaks and creaking sounds that almost resembled laughter.

The most striking thing of all though was Van's face as he brought his hand to his mouth to stifle his laughter. He was shaking in barely controlled mirth at Sora's mortification, his eyes crinkling at the edges, a slight color on his cheeks. He'd be accused of exaggerating, but under the dappled shadows of tree leaves and morning sun shining though them, Vanitas looked so normal, so soft, so approachable, it took Sora a moment to remind himself that Van wasn't actually his twin brother.

Riku and Kairi never really felt like siblings to him, in what limited memory he has of them so far; the two of them felt more like his soulmates. The image of a blond spiky-haired guy immediately popped in his head, blue eyes and easy confident smile flashing him a good memory.

_Roxas_ , his mind supplied.

This Roxas-person felt like a sibling, perhaps even just as much as he felt for Van. He remembers a fight they had, their Keyblades meeting after so long a separation in Destati, and Roxas' happy face saying the words " _It has to be you_ ", and fighting alongside each other in desolated lands.

And he sees himself that way with Van - how they could be so good for each other, if only they give it a chance.

It seemed he was staring for too long at Van, as Van tossed him a narrowed look. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“You got a little bit of asshole on it, is what he’s probably thinking,” Chirithy said.

Halcyon sputtered at his Spirit’s words. “Chirithy!”

“I’m tired,” Chirithy yawned, “Vanitas made me carry some of the camp supplies, and I need a nap. Call me when you need me Halcyon. Oh, and Lauriam sent a message, asking us how we’re doing.”

“Tell him we’re doing fine. Just peachy. Take a rest, Chirithy.” And with a single wave of a hand, Chirithy faded into a ball of light and disappeared, leaving just the three Keyblade wielders to themselves. Halcyon turned to look at Vanitas. “How’d you take Chirithy without me noticing?”

Vanitas shrugged. “I didn’t take the guy, it just followed me. Probably to keep watch over me since you were occupied. We’ve been hauling ass to catch up with you – the little shit helped navigate back to you,” Vanitas replied.

Halcyon was going to say something else when Sora gasped from beside him. “Guys! Arlo’s waking up!”

~

Vanitas hated Arlo.

Seriously. This dumbass should’ve died a number of times already, but it seems this world and Fate itself has resolved to keep the fucker alive for as long as possible. The kid tried hard to survive on his own – really, it’s almost impressive – and there were plenty of times Vanitas just wanted to walk up to Arlo and end his misery.

Sora stopped him every time though, but it’s not like his dimwit twin was doing any better.

Sora, on the other hand, had this convoluted idea in his head that they should _care_ more for Arlo. Fucking weakass bitch is hopeless, he said, and Sora just gave him the glare. He knows what Sora's trying to do, plying Halcyon with ideas to help Arlo, to which of course, doesn't really yield much result.

“Are you sure we can’t just leave him a nicely constructed tent out of leaves and branches? I mean, he can’t really do much without hands,” Sora asked Halcyon one night while they were preparing to go to bed for the night. It was raining hard, and with a few enchantments, Halcyon had temporarily widened the tent space so they could cook indoors – in-tents that is – instead of outside in the pouring rain.

“Sora, that’ll just confuse him,” Halcyon rebutted, “how is a nice tent going to just show itself out of the blue without explanation?”

“Well, he seems to be, uh...the type to not question it really,” Sora replied, scratching the back of his head, “I mean, he’s really getting drenched out there.”

“You were about to say that he seemed to be the kind of stupid not to question things like that, weren’t you?” Vanitas smirked at him. Sora threw him a glare, which only confirmed Van’s suspicions.

“He’s not going to get sick from the rain,” Halcyon replied, “he’s a dinosaur. He’s a reptile. He’s not a fragile human like us. He’ll be fine.”

Halcyon’s voice dropped a bit lower at the last sentence, and Vanitas couldn’t mistake the whiff of negative emotions coming from the older male. “He’ll be fine,” he repeated.

“If you say so,” Sora replied moodily.

However, if there was anything Vanitas hated more than Arlo at the moment, it was the cloying, sticky feeling of people trying to be fine, when it was obvious they weren't. He's got no beef with Halcyon, but _Light_ is this guy's negativity annoying him. Normally, negative emotions surrounding him would be very ideal – it makes him stronger – but damn, these two sad chicks make it so hard to enjoy it. Figures he's gotta do something about it.

“Don’t worry, if there’s another flash flood, we’ll be there. We’ll even help you look for the body if we fail again, considering how enthusiastic you were about it before,” Vanitas drawled.

There was a spike of dark emotion and the sound of a plate shattering, and all of a sudden Vanitas is on his back, the sharp edge of a Keyblade at his throat.

“Halcyon! Vanitas!” Sora yelled.

“You do _not_. Get to trivialize somebody’s failures like that, _as if it were a joke_ ,” Halcyon hissed at him.

“I’m not,” Vanitas smirked, completely unaffected at the blade at his neck, “all I’m saying is maybe you need to stop convincing yourself that everything’s fine when it isn’t. You're clearly not yourself. You're not "fine", not by a long shot."

He wasn't even scared of Halcyon's Keyblade threatening him, not with the blade shaking as it does.

Vanitas placed his bare hands on Hal’s Keyblade and swiped it away from him. Halcyon stared at him like he was physically struck, and Van felt the negative emotions emanating from the older male. It felt good, this negativity, but he also saw how it affected Sora, and well, that wasn’t good at all. It was annoying actually.

He didn’t want to play therapist for Halcyon, but clearly, between him and Sora, he’s gonna have to step up from time to time to play the “good guy”. Ugh. It’s so bothersome really, but still necessary if he’s to keep his sanity around Sora’s open emotions and empathy towards everyone.

Vanitas flipped himself back into a sitting position and faced Halcyon. “At least I make jokes, even if they’re in poor taste. I revel in my emotions, dark as they may be. And at least I don’t lie to myself to feel better. If I’m pissed? I fight. Bored? Annoyed? Mad? Confused? Fuck it, I’ll fight something or someone. Releases the stress off my shoulders a bit at least. And you know damn well how open Sora is with his emotions. So yeah, we’re pretty open and honest and shit about our goddamn feelings is what I’m saying. And you? Damn, you hide your emotions like it’s a national treasure that shouldn’t see the light of day. You make it so fucking easy to emotionally exploit you."

Vanitas dusted off non-existent lint off his shoulders before tossing Halcyon a frosty look.

“I don’t get you adults. It’s like you think lying and keeping things bottled up inside and pretending everything’s under control somehow makes you more competent. It doesn’t. It just fucks you over in the long run. Just look at Xehanort. He kept his secrets, pushed away his best friend, and killed his emotions for an ambitious dream and look at where that got him.

"So Henry kicked the bucket – boohoo, sad times, cry me a river and shit. I may be the one making jokes in poor taste, but at least I don't trivialize my own pain _as if it was nothing_.”

“I’m not...” Halcyon began.

“You are.”

They both turned to Sora, who was looking at them with a sad expression.

 

 

“You think I didn’t notice, but I did," Sora began, "and I get it. You don't...you don't trust us. Not fully. Not yet. But we're not that stupid. Of course we could tell you weren't okay. Of course we could tell you were trying to move past it. But when you did the thing with the plants and had us go back to just helping from a distance, it was like you were purposely trying to distance yourself from everything. From us. And then you just dealt with everything by yourself that even I could tell was reckless.

"But Halcyon, I can also see you meant well. You barely interact with the dinosaur family, yet I can tell how much they mean to you. You're proud of them, of what they could do, and of how simply happy together they are. And I get that, having something you're proud of ripped away from you. I don't... I don't remember much, but I remember how that hurts. And I just want you to know that as much as you look out for us, we're worried about you too.

"So please, just talk to us.”

There was a beat of silence. Halcyon stood up and dismissed his Keyblade, crawling over to the tent’s entrance, just stopping short of getting out.

"Do you really think that? That I'm pushing you away?" Halcyon asked.

"Not...not always. But sometimes, when Vanitas points out you're having a hard time, you kind of withdraw to yourself. You just feel distant all of a sudden, and that's...I just..." Sora trailed off, looking at his hands with a ruminating expression.

Vanitas could tell Sora felt conflicted about it, wanting to comfort the older male without seeming like he's complaining. It's ridiculous, Van thinks, how similar Sora and Halcyon are in that regard, prioritizing someone else's feelings over their own when the going gets difficult.

"It pisses us off, like you think we're fucking incapable of helping you," Vanitas finished Sora's statement. Sora averted his gaze from them, and Vanitas saw Halcyon's face fell at his words, like it hurt him that he unintentionally did them wrong. He watched the older male's throat bob in a dry swallow, before taking a deep breath.

Halcyon pushes the tent's opening apart, moving to get out.

“Where are you going?” Sora asked.

Halcyon gave him a subdued smile. “Don’t worry, Sora. I’m just... going for a walk. Just to cool my head. I need some time to think, okay? I’ll be back soon. Promise.”

“Be back by midnight,” Vanitas called out, “we don’t want your existential angst and bullshit getting you killed by the Heartless.”

“ _Vanitas_!”

“Copy that, Vani,” Halcyon quipped half-hearted smile, before vanishing past the tent flaps, and into the night.

After a few seconds that they heard Halcyon walk farther from their camp, Sora levelled Vanitas with his fiercest glare. The intensity behind it almost made Vanitas proud.

“What is _wrong_ with you?! How could you even say that to him?” Sora yelled at him.

“We both know he wasn’t doing well. So I just did what you thought to do,” Vanitas replied, voice tinged with laziness, “you wanted to ease his obvious guilt by trying to make him do something for Arlo. Some sort of act of redemption or some shit. But that wasn’t going to work, simply because he refused to be confronted about it. And with your approach? Damn, that wasn't going _anywhere_.”

Sora flinched at Van’s input, like he was surprised Van guessed what he was trying to do. “You’re not subtle Sora. Your honesty is endearing, but it wasn’t what Halcyon needed at the moment. You wanted to make his darkness go away? Then you had to draw it out first. Like the Heartless, you had to draw them out with heart. And when that heart is enveloped in darkness, you strike it down, Keyblade and light and all."

“So you baited him in a way that would get a rise out of him,” Sora spoke, following Van’s logic, “hoping that he’d reveal himself. That I would then say something about it.”

“To be honest, it was a gamble with him,” Van acquiesced, “I wasn’t sure if he’d react like that. Either way, I had faith you would try to make him feel better. See the light beyond the darkness surrounding him. We all have our roles to play Sora. I’m just good at playing mine.”

“And what is it exactly you think your role is?” Sora asked him, voice quiet.

“Don’t know, but it’s the exact opposite of yours, I’m sure. I mean, emotionally manipulating Halcyon to bare his emotions like that doesn’t seem like something you’d do.”

“You’re wrong,” Sora refuted, his voice sounding equally certain, “I’m pretty sure we play the same role, we just have different approaches. Maybe you are darkness, and I’m light, but I think in the end we aspire for the same things.”

“What? Friends? Family? Money? Prestige? Power?”

“Balance,” Sora replied.

"Listen to you, being all wise and shit," Van sneered.

 “Fuck off,” Sora replied absently. Vanitas suppressed a laugh at how nonchalantly the other boy swore, and he didn’t even seem to notice he did it. “I’m just... trying to understand it all, Halcyon’s problem and how we could've helped.”

“It’s not so much Halcyon’s dilemma you’re thinking of, as much as it is your own,” Vanitas quipped. Sora looked at him, his eyes flashing blue in the limited light inside the tent. _Like the shade of the clearest of skies_ , Vanitas couldn’t help thinking.

“Halcyon has his adult _I’m-fine-everything’s-fine_ complex, and that’s stopped him from legitimately working through his emotions. You, dear twinsie, suffer the same. You just seem content to stay on the sidelines so much, being the complete opposite of the go-getter I know you to be, because for some reason, you think it's _better_ to be someone else's doormat.

"So tell me Sora, what is it that’s holding you back from being the person that you really are?”

Vanitas didn’t wait for Sora’s answer before he crawled past him and out the tent, leaving the brown-haired boy to his own thoughts. If Halcyon’s off busy trying to sort shit out and Sora’s being pathetic, then someone might as well start dinner lest they starve to death.

Figures he’s the one who has to do something about it.

~

"How was it?"

"How was what?"

"Getting lectured about matters of the heart by a bunch of teenagers?"

"Ha! Hmm. Humbling. And also...really accurate, on how they read me. It made me feel like a kid again."

"And yet so well-deserved. If it were anyone else, you wouldn't have listened."

"Oh c'mon, you're exaggerating! I totally would’ve listened!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Oh."

"..."

"...I'm sorry, Chirithy."

"...I'm still a little tired. I'll talk to you later?"

"...Okay. Um, Chirithy, I..."

"Cheer up, Hal. You still got me. It may not feel so from time to time, but you do. You'll always have me. Even when you push me away."

“...”

“...”

"Yeah. Thanks, Chirithy. You're the best."

~

When Halcyon got back to their tent, it was close to midnight. Upon entering the tent, he saw Sora sprawled by their sleeping area, his body angled towards Hal's space, like he was passively seeking the older male out in his sleep.

Vanitas, the one on first watch, merely glanced at him and raised a brow, continuing to wrap his scarf around his neck before moving to get out of the tent. On his way out, Van handed him a bowl of soup for dinner. It was still warm. Halcyon took the bowl gratefully, mumbling thanks.

"Better?" Vanitas asked mildly.

"I'm fine. Thanks for the concern, earlier. You and Sora. Though you could have probably told it in a better way," Halcyon broached the topic.

Vanitas scoffed. "I don't do nice. Get it together. Where were you anyway? I doubt whatever you did took that long a walk."

Halcyon smiled at him secretly. "You'll see."

Vanitas rolled his eyes at him before exiting the tent, leaving Halcyon to eat his dinner, dress down and go to sleep. From beside him, Sora stirred and drew closer. Halcyon chuckled to himself, before draping an arm over the boy in a loose hug, his eyes already fluttering closed and off to sleep.

He can't fall apart like this; Sora and Vanitas are right. He needed to be himself; and that includes processing grief and other emotions like a normal person. Like the person he used to be, before the darkness, before the fall. Before everything.

Tomorrow, things are going to change. It's time to stop setting his heart from a distance. Tomorrow, it's time to start being more than just a Dandelion.

And with that, Halcyon snuggled closer to Sora, and fell in dreamless sleep.

~

Spot gave Arlo edible berries.

“This is your solution? You make Spot guide Arlo across a cliff edge for edible berries, have them tumble down hundreds of feet down, and then have Spot fight a monster snake with legs? For breakfast?” Vanitas asked incredulously.

“I mean, yeah, I even gave Spot a few long-lasting defense buffs, so it’s not like the snake could do much harm on him,” Halcyon shrugged. Sora thought Hal looked actually sheepish at that. “Besides, I didn’t expect Arlo to ignore the threat of danger outright...”

“WE ARE DEALING WITH AN IDIOT DINOSAUR. WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING?” Vanitas pulled at his hair, looking absolutely maddened. Sora just laughed.

“Well, everybody’s fine right? So, everything’s good?” Sora asked, sounding unsure.

"Sora. Vanitas. I'm sorry about yesterday. And well, all the days before that, after Henry..." Halcyon turned to look at the two boys with a serious expression. "I'm really ashamed to have shown you such a pathetic side of me - I shouldn't have flown off the handle at what Vanitas said, and you were both right. I was too busy being the grown-up guy that I pushed my own well-being to the side for the sake of appearances. And it wasn't fair to you or me, that I was pushing the distance - from you and from Arlo - when this was exactly the time to pull closer to protect each other.

"I think I've always been unconsciously keeping everyone at arm's length - like a polite distance, enough to be chummy with, but not really baring my heart open to anyone. If anything, that hurt us more than I'd care to admit. And for worrying you and having you look after me the way you did yesterday, again, I'm sorry, and I want you guys to know that I appreciate what you did and said.

“I’m still hung up on losing Henry,” Halcyon said seriously, “but this time, maybe we really should just... I don’t know, actually move things along with them more actively. It would be bad if they’re, um...dead.”

There was a pause before Vanitas decided to speak up.

"That's it?"

" _Vanitas!_ " Sora hissed.

"I'm trying to be better. I may be older than you, but I have just as much to learn in life like you guys." Halcyon sent them a wide smile - a real, genuine one this time. "So let's continue doing our best!"

At the first genuine and bright smile from Halcyon from the longest while, Sora laughed from beside Van, and cheered as well. "Let's do this!"

“I’m so glad we’re all on the same page. Now where’s the little shit?” Vanitas asked, already tired of the conversation. It seemed that Halcyon's bounced back from whatever emotional slump he's been in, and the combined positivity from Sora and Halcyon is actually giving Van a little vertigo.

It was nauseating, but he's a little relieved that the role of angsty party member has been returned to him. Can't have Halcyon breaking character now, do we?

“Making a new acquaintance apparently. Look!” Sora pointed to Arlo and Spot being accosted by another dinosaur, with multiple small animals perched on its horns, introducing himself as Forrest Woodbush.

“What a total whack,” Vanitas snarked. Sora smiled at the way Halcyon bit his lip to hold in his laughter, and Sora felt lighter than before, knowing that they really were going to be fine.

~

A few days pass, and Sora and company continued to follow Arlo and Spot in their quest to return home. Halcyon has visibly improved, though there are moments during late afternoons where Sora would catch the older male stare at the distance, lost in thought.

They've been a lot more open with each other - Halcyon has begun keeping Chirithy around outside of battle with them more frequently to talk with them - and Sora's begun talking about his limited memories. Loose memories about Riku and Kairi, adventures with Donald and Goofy, and the person named Roxas that Sora felt compelled to talk about, though he's the person he remembers the least at this point.

Vanitas, during the late nights when none of them could sleep early, would tell them stories of _his_ adventures. He'd tell stories about Terra and Aqua, and the boy named Ventus who Sora felt strangely connected to as well. He's met them all, Van told him, but he's yet to remember Terra and Aqua. Ventus, strangely enough, was easy to remember, since he shared Roxas features.

Halcyon teased them for it, that he and Ventus basically created each others' twins. _Defying fucking logic and science_ , Vanitas quipped.

He and Vanitas still do light spars with each other, sometimes teaming up against Halcyon, and on afternoons when all that Arlo and Spot do is play in a clearing and try some new berry or fruit they come across, they camp out and continue to learn how to cook more. Sora turned out to be a decent cook, a memory coming to him working in a bistro with someone named Remy, but surprisingly, it's Vanitas who's quickly become an excellent cook.

But if there's one thing that Sora's learned, it's that Vanitas cares.

He noticed the way Van’s eyes track all their movements from the corner of his periphery, always an Unversed away from underhandedly assisting them. He noticed the way Vanitas would pick at Halcyon or him with well-placed insults and jibes, getting a rise out of them, and having them do certain things a better way that benefitted them.

Sora noticed how Vanitas liked to bully them into taking better care of themselves – a concept that hasn’t escaped Halcyon either – and they’ve allowed it, for Vanitas to crassly fuss over them in his rough manner, only if they could snark back at Vanitas.

“Motherfucker doesn’t even know how to drink water. This heat’s gonna leave you dehydrated, and who do you think is gonna drag your ass around when that happens, huh?”

“Well maybe if you slept a little more and spent less time trying to fight your own shadow every night, you wouldn’t look like your dying on the outside as you are on the inside.”

“Sometimes I think about what stupidity possesses you that allows you know how to use a Keyblade, yet you can’t use a knife properly. Honestly, are you looking to accidentally chop your fingers off at some point? Fucking imbecile, give the knife. No, I’m not going to kill you, but oh, _that’s an idea_.”

Sora thinks that Van’s enjoying himself, and that’s all he needs to know really. It makes him happy that Vanitas has allowed himself to be more open to other emotions, even if he hasn’t realized it for himself yet.

~

_QUEST: Defend Arlo and Spot from the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_375 Heartless DEFEATED_

_49% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

~

At one point, they watched Arlo and Spot stop by a stray bush with bright red berries ready to be plucked. The berries didn't look impressive or particularly delicious, but for some reason, Arlo decided to take a few bites of the berries to eat.

Spot eyed the plant with a wary glance, before following Arlo's lead and taking a handful of berries for himself. At first they looked fine, as if they were just taking a little snack break. But then, a few seconds later, their faces slacked into a dopey look, their expressions warping into exaggerated smiles and uncontrolled giggling.

It was...strange.

"Are they okay?" Sora asked, sounding bothered, "they're acting pretty... uh, trippy."

"Oh my _Light_ ," Halcyon groaned, dropping his face into his hands, "are those hallucinogenic berries? Unbelievable!"

"Halo-what now?" Vanitas asked incredulously, his eyes narrowing at the pair before them, "what's going on with them? Are they poisoned? Are we serious right now? Is their stupidity what's actually going to kill them in the end?"

"No, they're not poisoned," Halcyon replied with his face still in his hands, "they're just high."

"High?" Sora asked innocently, not knowing what it was.

"High." Vanitas repeated, his voice low.

"So high. C'mon, we need to make sure those two don't become dino chow in the time they've left themselves vulnerable," Halcyon sighed.

"They are high. Are you fucking serious right now?" Van asked, sounding pissed.

On cue, Arlo and Spot let out a noisy peal of deranged laughter, sounding a little cross between highly entertained and positively unhinged. Sora was officially Concerned™.

Van, on the other hand, wasn't.

"You know what? This is stupid. This whole thing is stupid. Here we are breaking our backs to escort these idiots back home and these _idiots_ get the _gall_ to get fucking high as a kite on our watch!" Vanitas hissed, pointing accusatory fingers at Arlo and Spot sprawled by the clearing. The two of them looked ridiculous, Arlo's head wound around a loose branch while spot was panting like he was in need of water _yesterday_.

Sora could admit it was tiresome, but watching the two of them go from reluctant allies to actual sort-of friends was hilarious. Also, Sora's now curious about that fruit they ate; it looked fun! Should they try it out?

"I'm kinda curious what they're on," Sora mused, unaffected by Van's tirade. "I kinda want to try it."

"Sora, _no_!" Halcyon sounded scandalized.

"You know what I'm curious about? Let's see how the fuck you can handle yourself in a fight – the only high you need to be on is the adrenaline rush from before I kill you in a fight you’re basically asking for!"

_I'm pretty sure you're the one looking for a fight_ , Sora thought, but didn't say it out loud. He doesn’t really mind to be honest – sparring, er... fighting Vanitas could be productive! He could use an exercise - he could probably try and remember more skills or memories that way.

Why did it sound like Sora was justifying a random fight all of a sudden? Sora mentally shrugged; he figured it doesn't matter if it meant curbing down Van's bloodlust for battle for a bit.

"Bring it, Van!"

~

_QUEST: Defeat Vanitas._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Vanitas DEFEATED_

_52% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

"Was that really necessary?" Halcyon asked, perched on top of a rock as he looked positively exhausted. Other than looking after Van and Sora's fight from accidentally harming Arlo and Spot from a distance, Halcyon had to look after Arlo and Spot so they wouldn't hurt themselves while on an acid trip.

Sora panted from where he planted himself on the ground on his back, eyes looking at the expanse of blue sky. He dismissed his Keyblade and waited for his breath to even out.

He could sense Van doing the same off to one side. For a few blessed moments, they were both quiet, only the sound of their breathing making noise. A gentle breeze blew past them, and Sora couldn't help but smile at their ridiculousness.

Sora answered Hal's question a few beats later. "No. Maybe. I don’t know. But it helped I think. I was getting pretty restless too. This babysitting job is hard, it's getting me a little stir-crazy."

Sora felt an incredibly judgmental look coming from Halcyon, his gaze pointed and deadset on them. "Yes. I can confirm that."

"I want to try some of those berries, too," Van said from beside Sora. His voice was so close, Sora didn't realize how closely their bodies had fallen to the ground in exhaustion. "Sora, let's go get high."

"Oh my _god_ ," Halcyon moaned. Sora almost felt sorry for Halcyon. _Almost_.

"Uh, later? You kinda wrung me out of it just now." Sora kind of understood why Vanitas wanted to fight (he was hesitant to call it sparring with how violent Van gets in their fights - he really pushes it) and he can kinda admit he's been feeling the same. Mindlessly pushing back the Heartless and babysitting Arlo and Spot can get pretty monotonous at times - he was feeling cagey and restless.

Travelling was nice, but the monotony? Ugh, not so much.

He heard Van chuckle. "Weak shit, Sora, that tired you out? You're getting out of shape."

"Says you. You're lying on the ground too."

"Maybe I like looking at the sky and contemplating how beautiful life is."

Sora snorted. "Sure."

"If there's anything you're contemplating, it's homicide and other various forms of murder," Halcyon intoned, his footsteps approaching them by the sound of crunching grass, "which is, well, okay, understandable, since we've all been there."

"Umm, I haven't been thinking of murder?" Sora lifted his torso to look at Halcyon, who was giving him a wry smile.

Halcyon gave him a deadpan look, still retaining the wry smile. "You'll get there. Give it time."

"Sounds ominous." Sora replied, a confused smile coming to face.

"Let's just get fucking high," Van repeated.

Halcyon raised his hands from behind him. In his hands was a familiar branch filled with red berries - the older male probably picked it up at some point during his and Van's fight. He unceremoniously dumped it on Van's face, brambles and all.

"Ow, you absolute FUCK!" Vanitas cursed. Sora couldn't suppress his giggles at Halcyon's smug look.

"Get wrecked, Vani," Halcyon huffed, "I'm already looking after two children-" he said, pointing at Arlo and Spot's general direction "-so I suppose I don't see why not add two more at the moment."

"You'd let your children get high? You'd make an awful parent," Van sneered.

"Either that, or I'd be the cool dad," Hal breezed.

"I don't have a dad," Sora added.

He felt Van and Halcyon's gazes at him. Sora got the feeling he blurted out something a little too informative and personal.

"Well." Halcyon looked uncomfortable.

"What about Riku?" Van asked, waving the bramble of red berries in the air.

"What about him?" Sora shot back.

"I bet you call him daddy."

Sora choked on air as Halcyon wheezed from laughter, dropping to the ground on his side. Sora's face glowed hot with embarrassment, throwing an angry glare at Van, who only smirked at him.

"You are _impossible_ ," Sora hissed.

"It's okay. You can call me daddy, too," Van waggled his eyebrows at him. _Oh my god_.

Sora sat up and grabbed the bramble of berries from his look-alike and punched him on the shoulder for the trouble. "I'm not high enough for this conversation."

Halcyon sighed from where he was on the ground, before saying. "Fuck it. Let's get fucking high, then."

Sora heard Vanitas cackle before taking a handful of berries from the bramble, and then dumping it back on Van's face. He didn't really pay much attention to Van's flurry of expletives at him - after the first handful of berries, he was already paying more attention as to why Van had 6 eyes and orange horns instead.

~

After multiple misadventures around the woods, the afternoon faded to the evening, where both Arlo and Spot settled down for the night. Sora and company watched Arlo show Spot the fireflies, and bond over their missing families.

It was a surprise to Sora, how they didn’t really speak the same language yet they understood each other. From beside him, Vanitas whispered that loss is a universal language, that heartbreak is something that words cannot contain but feel.

“That’s...pretty deep, coming from you. How do you know that?” Sora asked him.

Vanitas shrugged, refusing to answer. Instead he walked off to follow Halcyon back to the clearing they found, setting up camp and fixing dinner for the night. Sora was left to watch Arlo and Spot slowly fall asleep where they were, reminiscing about families they had lost and missed.

~

A few hours later and Sora couldn’t fall asleep. He volunteered for first watch.

Sora sat before the fire, poking at loose stones and embers to stoke the fire. He was on first watch tonight, and it had been a solid two hours since Halcyon and Van went to sleep in their tent. He'd volunteered first watch since he couldn't sleep, Arlo and Spot's family confessions still running through his head.

He had sent out Meow Wow to scout the perimeter earlier, but he dismissed the Spirit - _Dreameater,_ his memory insisted - a few minutes ago to let it rest. A rustling sound prompted him to turn around, and saw Vanitas clambering out of the tent, and without words, sat on the log a few feet to Sora's side.

Sora turned to look at Vanitas in his periphery. He had his jacket and scarf off, only in his sleeveless top and pants, and going barefoot. Sora was in a similar state of dressing down, merely in his shirt with rolled up sleeves and pants. He still had his socks on though.

"Couldn't sleep?" Sora asked.

"Nope," Van replied, popping the 'p' at the end, and proceeded to not explain further.

"What's on your mind?" Sora tried again.

Vanitas gave him a side-eye and huffed. Sora knew that it took specific conditions for Van to open up to him. It had to be at night, surrounded by darkness, and it had to be them alone without anyone walking in on them. The last clincher was that Vanitas had an almost blank look on his face, like he was thinking deeply on something.

Sora could sense Halcyon deeply asleep in the tent, so there wasn't a chance he'd walk in on them in the middle of conversation.

It was time for another Conversation with Feelings™.

Sora waited for Van to seemingly collect his thoughts before giving him an answer. Except it wasn't an answer, but rather, a question.

"What's your family like, Sora?"

To say he's surprised would be an understatement; Sora would've never guessed that was what Van was thinking about. Sora tried to think of an answer for him, but other than his increasing number of memories of Destiny Islands and Riku and Kairi, Sora couldn't remember his parents.

"I don't remember. Not yet at least," Sora answered quietly.

"Hmm. I don't remember Ven having one, from what limited memory I have of our collective past," Van returned, "it's a sore spot for both of us, not having anyone on our side. Ven envied those who were close friends, and I detested any form of connection with others that led to having weaknesses. His lack of friends and family gave him an affinity with a particular Keyblade."

Sora waited for Van to continue, choosing to let him finish before speaking.

"It's called the Missing Ache."

Sora turned away from Van and stared at the fire.

"It carries a particular brand of darkness in it, wielded from the negative emotions and the darkness inside him. Of course, being Ven's darkness, I remember it well. When we were split, I inherited Missing Ache, but because I was only half a heart of pure darkness, the Keyblade I inherited was warped and corrupted."

"It transformed into Void Gear." Sora surmised out loud.

Van smirked at him. "So you _do_ have some brain cells to your name, after all!"

"Shut up." Van cackled at Sora's glare.

"But yeah, that's what's on my mind. Friends, I vaguely have an idea of. Family? Nil. Zilch. Nada. Just got me thinking, is all," Van continued.

"Never thought that would catch your attention of all things," Sora said.

"Of course it caught my attention; it was a new concept to me," Van rolled his eyes at him, "don't tell me you don't get curious about new things you see."

Sora chuckled. He knew exactly how excitable he could get with seeing and experiencing new things. "Okay, I'll give you that one."

There was a brief lull in conversation where Sora went back to poking at the fire, and Van just sat there quietly, looking past the clearing, like he was watching the darkness.

"Would you qualify that as a good memory?"

Sora wracked his head of which one. "Which one, Arlo showing Spot the fireflies?"

"No, them getting high together," Van snarked before growing subdued after a moment. "...Yeah. The fireflies."

Sora chuckled. "I think both would count, even of the first one seems a bit more on the wild side. I don't know how much Spot's going to remember about it but, I think both will be fond memories for him to have when he's older." Sora answered. A gentle breeze swept over the grassy clearing, sending a few fireflies floating in the air. Sora smiled. "I know I made a lot of good ones."

"Assuming he survives long enough to grow into his retentive memory," Vanitas quipped.

"He will." Sora replied, sounding far more sure about his answer than he actually was. Van regarded him with a look, and snorted.

"Only you could make such a weak answer sound so strong. Is that conviction, or is it stupidity?"

"I'd say its hope. Hope for a better future." They were silent after that.

"A better future huh?" Van mumbled. "What a luxury."

Sora chuckled. "Only you could make something that's supposed to be filled with positivity sound so depressing."

"I don't have much Sora," Van continued, his voice level and quiet, "I only have you, and maybe even Ven. Debatably. Not to mention that the only reason I'm even here is because you've anchored me here. So yeah, my continued existence _is_ a luxury. It's not like I have anyone or anything else going on for me, other than the darkness."

"You have me and Ven, like you said. And if Ven doesn't want you, then you have me. Isn't...isn't that enough to hope for a better future?"

Sora immediately realized how much he regretted asking that question – it was too loaded – not something he and Van could really discuss at this point in their friendship. Even after all this time they've spent in relative domesticity helping out the Apatosaurus family, the question felt oddly too intrusive. Sure, Sora felt close to Van, but did the other boy feel the same?

Sora expected Van to say _"no"_ outright, but he's surprised when Van avoided his gaze and stared in front of him, absently invested in the fire before him.

"I don't know," the dark-haired boy replied softly, "but I...I want it to be."

It's a bittersweet answer, Sora thought, how someone like Vanitas could fully embrace the darkness as who he is, but still yearn for something that he believed was beyond his reach. He wanted to say that they could be enough - being together - but he knows it'll feel cheap.

Vanitas was never about words anyway; he believed in actions more than any comfort sweet words can offer him.

"Spot is all alone in this world," Van continued, "without Arlo, he would've succumbed to the darkness eventually. Perhaps even become dinosaur food. Bottom line is, at some point, Arlo's gotta give him up, and what then? Arlo still has his family, but what about the boy critter? He doesn't have anyone left."

"That's assuming Arlo _does_ give him up," Sora retorted, "the thing is, they do have each other now. They've become each other's family."

Vanitas crunched his face at what Sora said. "They are not related. At all. I mean, look at them!"

"They're family _by choice_ ," Sora explained, "it's a different kind of family. But...it's family. It's more than just being friends, I guess." Sora pictured Riku, Kairi, and Roxas in his head, the people who he can easily imagine spending a night around a bonfire with. It was a feeling of more than just being friends. It was a feeling like even if the worlds fell to darkness, they would be the ones who'd remain at his side, fighting 'til their last breath.

"Family is...they're...they're home. They're your home."

In a way, he feels that way towards Vanitas.

"Arlo and Spot wouldn't be together. They're too different. I'd say the same applies to us." Sora didn't reply to Van.

Vanitas spoke after a few seconds of silence. "Don’t forget that you weren't supposed keep me like this. I wasn't meant for this kind of existence, a wandering half of a heart that's no longer needed. So...promise me you'll let me go and not do anything stupid when the time comes. Other than fighting a lot, I don’t ask for much Sora, so can you give me that?"

Sora couldn't answer right away. Van stayed silent, staring at him with his intense gold eyes, waiting for his answer, patiently.

"...Okay. I promise," Sora replied eventually.

There was a silence after that, with nothing but the crackling sound of the fire before them. Sora took a deep breath and swallowed his nerves. He continued to stare at the fire as he began to speak.

“We could be that, too, until that time comes.”

He felt Vanitas look at him. Sora continued.

 

 

“We could be family.” Sora turned to look at Vanitas, mustering a small smile. “Brothers.”

It only took a moment, but Vanitas nodded minutely, and though it was mostly unnoticeable, Sora still picked up the sight of the ghost of a genuine smile on Van's lips.

"Sure. Brothers. Whatever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit that one of the reasons why this world's story stretched on was because I wanted to write the acid trip scene with Sora and Vanitas. LOL. Anyways, there was a subtle change in that scene: in the movie, it was actually rotten fruits that Arlo and Spot consume when they got high. I changed it to berries in this story to make the object of hallucination less conspicuous-looking and innocent, like they just found completely edible berries that oh, I don't know, came with ridiculous side effects.
> 
> Van's way of bullying people to take better care of themselves was basically inspired by a lot of the people I know in college, minus the swearing and death threats. Haha. I can't forget how some of my friends would "bully" each other into drinking more water and eating actual food during our thesis period - it was everything really. Haha. And I wanted to include more writing of sassy!Chirithy, but it came out too forced, so I removed that and smoothed out the parts that felt too stilted in the narration.
> 
> This chapter took me so LONG to write. The confrontation scene at the beginning was so hard to write yet necessary, and the beginning drafts felt too unnatural that I had so much rewriting I did. I'm pretty satisfied with how how I wrote it; it was also inspired by some of the arguments I found myself in with some of my friends before. Writing that argument scene while keeping everyone in character while ALSO pushing for everyone's character development was difficult. I don't know if I pulled it off, but I'd like to think I did. What do you guys think?
> 
> Personally, I love how I drew everyone in this chapter's art - especially in the first piece - since I didn't think I could manage to draw expressions that well. Practicing definitely paid off hahahaaha
> 
> Anyways, the next update would be Clawtooth Mountain's final part, and will probably take a while to upload considering I have to prepare for leaving work and arranging things for my board exam reviews.
> 
> Questions time: Can you guess what song was used for he two chapters of the Clawtooth Mountain arc, and why? Also, what do you think the next world would be? For the coming interlude, who are the characters you hope to see? Comment your answers down below!


	8. Chapter 5 - Cover your crystal eyes (And let your colors bleed and blend with mine)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going home and saying goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD YES I'M ALIVE!!!! So glad to finally be updating! Life has been VERY busy as of late.
> 
> A quick rundown of what happened recently for this chapter's upload delay was this: I was supposed to exit my job but then a new project came in. Being the only senior staff member in a team of newbies, I was requested to extend, and so for the last month I've been so swamped with work and hectic deadlines that I barely had time to write or draw. A lot of my personal projects were put on hold because of this, and I've only gotten time to relax recently. I'll be reducing my workload in a few weeks and starting my licensure exam reviews, plus actually going on that vacation I promised myself.
> 
> So yeah, here's my really late update for this fic. I finished writing, adding, rewriting and revising a few hours ago, and I'm actually surprised I managed to finish this to be uploaded as soon as I could.
> 
> No art for this chapter (or at least, at the original time of upload) since I haven't had the time to work on any pieces. I'll probably update the chapter with actual at some point in the future, so look forward to that!
> 
> Anyway, without further ado, here's the fifth chapter, the conclusion of the Clawtooth Mountain arc. Enjoy!

They saw the storm before it arrived.

Chirithy, who had been wandering close to Arlo and Spot, came back with the news in haste as Sora and Vanitas helped Halcyon pack up camp. The older male looked to the sky and spotted the huge storm clouds rolling in from the next mountain, a steely look overcoming his face.

The clouds rolled in thick, heavy grey ambassadors of rain and wind. Sora could feel the slight tingle in the air – ozone, the scent of lightning and thunder waiting to unleash its fury. He threw a glance at Vanitas and noticed the other boy nonchalantly continuing to pack up camp, almost as if the storm didn’t bother him.

“Sora. Vanitas. Are you almost done with packing up?” Hal asked.

“We are,” Sora answered, hearing the edge in Hal’s voice, his own tone worried, “go on ahead, me and Vanitas will finish things up from here.”

From a few feet away, Vanitas waved his hand in the air and conjured several flying Unversed. Gaudium, upon Sora’s observation, was absent today.

“Take a few of my Unversed. If things go to shit, feel free to do with them as you please.”

Hal raised an eyebrow at the unexpected gesture from the dark haired boy, letting out a dull chuckle. “How magnanimous of you, Vani. Careful there, I might think you’re worried about me,” the older male smirked.

Van rolled his eyes at the older male. “Try not to lose any more fucking screws in that rattling head of yours, got it old man? Having us haul your ass to safety was a one-time deal. Don’t fucking push it.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Hal said, tone serious. Sora tried not to think about that evening when they lost Henry; it wasn’t a forbidden topic to talk about – Halcyon himself has opened up to them during some nights about how he still hasn’t been over it – but it was a sore point for the brunet, when Sora really thought they’d lose Hal that night too.

Out of some weird sense of consideration, Van had only given him minor ribbing for it, but never anything too biting. If anything, it was just one of Van’s materials to goad him into sparring with him. Hal once remarked that it was like a weird dance they did – their bickering like some sort of foreplay before the violence. Sora didn’t really get it, or know what “foreplay” was.

He asked Vanitas what that was, to which surprisingly, the dark-haired boy refused to answer.

Sora watched as Hal and Chirithy rushed off to where Arlo and Spot presumably was, flying Unversed in tow, before returning to the task at hand. He dismantled the firepit by their camp and doused it in a mild Water spell, remembering Hal’s advice to do so in order to prevent stray ashes or burnt wood from sparking into a forest fire.

“You about done there?”

Sora turned to look at Vanitas, just in time to catch the bag thrown at him. He caught the hurled object at him effortlessly, slinging it over one shoulder.

“Let’s go,” Sora nodded.

They had motioned to head in the same direction that Hal went off to, but before any of them could move, Sora noticed Van stiffen, dropping the bag from his shoulders and summoning his Keyblade. Sora knew better than to just stand around, so didn’t hesitate to follow suit, and mere seconds later, a horde of Heartless came streaming in from the forest.

The rain and wind began to gain intensify, the cackling of the Heartless like a low buzz to the rumbling thunder roaring in the distance. Sora heard Van sigh from his side.

“Goddammit, we really don’t have time for this,” Sora muttered.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless amidst the storm._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas_

_413 Heartless DEFEATED_

_55% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

“I see them!”

Van turned to look at where Sora was pointing at. As they dealt with the storm-borne Heartless in their haste to catch up with Halcyon, the storm had picked up in earnest, harsh winds and rain coming down heavy on them. The both of them instinctively stuck close as to not lose each other, with the raging storm whipping around debris and broken branches, making visibility very difficult.

He turned to look just in time as the bright light of a magic spell shone through their limited visibility, seeing the shadow of Arlo duck into the magic’s conjured structure. Not far away from them, he saw a man’s silhouette waving around a Keyblade on fire, the direction he assumed that Sora was actually pointing at.

 _Stupid Halcyon, using his Keyblade like a goddamn lighthouse,_ Vanitas groaned internally. It was a silly sight, yet also a relief to see that Halcyon was standing safely inside a structure made of some sturdy material. What the hell was that magic?

“You mean the idiot waving that flaming stick in the middle of this hellstorm? Yeah, I see ‘em alright,” Van answered Sora. “C’mon, I’ve had enough of this shitshow.”

He heard Sora mutter under his breath as they shot towards Halcyon’s position, taking cover until the storm passed.

~

_“The storm provides!”_

_“There’s no place to hide yellow belly!”_

~

Sora stared helplessly in horror as the trio of pteronodons terrorized Arlo and Spot. He watched as the squabble of three flying dinosaurs began chasing down the duo through the forest, their own footsteps lost in the chase as well.

“We need to help him!” Sora turned to Halcyon, who was looking up in the sky as they chased after Arlo and Thunderclap and his goonies. The older male’s gaze turned dark, muttering a low curse.

“Don’t worry, we will. But first, looks like we got additional company,” Hal intoned. Sora craned his head upwards and saw a variety of flying Heartless following Thunderclap.

“Heartless!” Sora said, stunned.

“Must be the other flying dinosaurs that didn’t survive the storm,” Van drawled from behind him. The familiar sound of a summoned Keyblade followed, and Sora could feel Van’s grin even without looking. Well. Van always did love his fights. Sora summoned his own Keyblade and dashed forward in earnest, ahead of Van and Halcyon, before he heard the telltale sound of Van stirring up trouble.

Or more accurately, summoning Unversed.

The brunet heard a muffled shriek from behind him – he thinks it’s Hal, Van wouldn’t be caught _dead_ shrieking like that – before he felt a strong grip on his waists and his feet are off the ground.

“Woah!”

The wind whipped at his face, and when Sora opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of the forest below him and the blue skies around him - he couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped his mouth. In the distance, the flying Heartless circled around in the air, some of them diving down the forest, which Sora assumed was them trying to attack Arlo and Spot.

“Yo. Twinsie.”

At the voice, Sora gathered himself and saw that he was actually being held by a flying Unversed. Nearby, he saw Halcyon in the same position, trying to look calm despite his harried appearance. Sora kinda felt bad for Hal; Van really springs out these kinds of surprises during their matches that Sora’s hardly fazed by Van’s ridiculous way of dealing with things.

He looked above as Van descended to his eye level, comfortably riding on the back of his own flying Unversed.

“So, how about it? Ready to take this goddamn fuckery to the skies?”

“You got it!” Sora replied enthusiastically, before striking the Unversed’s claws holding him to release him, as another Unversed caught him from below, having Sora comfortably ride the flying creature like Vanitas.

Both boys ignored Halcyon groaning “ _oh Lights noooooooo”_ in the background, already in battle stances to fight off the flying Heartlesses.

~

_QUEST: Defend Arlo and Spot from the flying Heartless and Thunderclap's flock._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_452 Heartless DEFEATED_

_65% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Unexpectedly, Sora and company were _not_ the ones to save the day in the end.

“Hey, you okay kid?”

“Y-Yes!”

“I hate those kind! Picking on a kid?” The female tyrannosaurus looked down at her foot, where she found Spot happily cuddling her. Her gaze immediately softened, leaning down to give Spot a little scratch on the chin.

“Well, aren’t you just the cutest thing!”

Arlo looked on in surprise. “He likes you.”

~

“For a bunch of carnivores, I thought they’d be a bit more...bitey.”

To be honest, Van half-hoped the T-rexes would just gobble up Arlo and Spot so they could end their miserable stalking of the dumb dinosaur. Sora, being the PG-rated hero he is, just voiced out his thoughts like the actual 13-year-old he was.

“I can hear your evil thoughts being evil, Vani,” Halcyon glared at him, to which Van only smirked at. “We are not encouraging them to devour Arlo and Spot!”

“But Hal,” Van whined in a faux demure and innocent voice, “what would the scientists say? It’s not like them eating bugs for meals are a convincing argument, considering their jagged teeth and large size. They must be getting sustenance through consuming meat and larger prey! Must we fight what Mother Nature intended them to be, or must we encourage them to change in the hopes that the deviation in their diet causes an adaptive evolution in them?”

“That is the longest and most intellectual thing I have ever heard from you, and the fact that there wasn’t a single swear word in that statement severely worries me,” Hal drew his lips in a firm line. “Are you actually smart underneath all that swearing?”

“Hey, Xehanort was a scientist himself other than scheming to become the next fucking Savior of the Universe – I just picked up on his method of thinking. Scientific method or some shit. Fucked up shit he spewed whenever he ran his shitty experiments.”

“Um, guys?” Sora interrupted them, “it looks like they talked about helping each other? They just said something about having Spot track down a herd of animals they lost for the T-rexes.”

“Well, well,” Van whistled, “a _herd_. Well, let Spot lead the fucking way then.”

~

From behind Arlo's group, Sora and company trailed after them, letting Spot sniff out the location of the Longhorns that the T-Rexes lost. Vanitas often summoned an Unversed to remotely take care of the Heartless threatening to attack Spot from a distance, to which Halcyon commended him for.

Van just shrugged the compliments, but Sora could tell by the barest lift of his lips that it made the boy happy. From that point, Gaudium appeared and took out the weaker Heartless for them, aided by Sora's Meow Wow.

It didn't take them long to locate the Longhorns; turns out that Spot's sense of smell was on-point - Vanitas made a lot of dog jokes that Halcyon whacked him on the head to shut him up. Sora recovered a memory showing him a dog acting fondly with his owner - _Pluto and King Mickey_ \- and stayed silent instead, watching Arlo and the T-Rexes discuss their new problem with the herd.

~

“We’re really helping these hicks with their problem?” Vanitas asked.

"Don't call them that," Sora frowned. Vanitas stared blankly at him.

“We’re really helping these dorks with their problem?” Vanitas ammended.

"Yes," Halcyon sighed, attempting to end the incoming argument. "We are going to _help_ them and not cause further trouble. Sora, Vanitas, get rid of the Heartless!"

"Aye aye, sir!" Sora chirped.

"Whatever," Vanitas drawled.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Velociraptor Heartless threatening the herd and Arlo and his friends._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_511 Heartless DEFEATED_

_65% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

"Vanitas! What the hell?"

"It was getting boring, and you suck at this. Supremely. How's a spontaneous lesson time? Let me teach you a thing or two about fighting in a crowd," Vanitas smirked darkly.

All around them, the herd continued to stampede forwards, barely paying them any attention. In the distance, Sora could hear Halcyon still battling with the Heartless. He could even hear Arlo and the T-Rexes in the distance above the noise by just a bit.

"At a time like this? We're going to get hurt!"

"Then try _not to_ get hurt." Vanitas retorted, before snapping his fingers and summoned a few Unversed to join the stampeding crowd around them. Sora merely gave his darker twin a glare, before charging in to face Van's challenge.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Vanitas and the Unversed._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Vanitas DEFEATED_

_65% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

"Children! The lot of you!" Halcyon hissed. "It's like I can't leave you two alone!"

"To be fair, Sora deserved that," Vanitas drawled, sounding unapologetic. Sora scratched his nose while smiling, looking a little contrite but nonetheless unregretful of their earlier scuffle.

Halcyon thought Sora was really picking up on Vanitas' rash influence. He wants to berate them, really, but after witnessing Sora's improvement in his mobility, speed, and fighting style, he can't really scold them over something as learning to improve and bond.

The ill-timed sparring-slash-fighting was another thing though.

"You two couldn't have pulled that some other time?" he sighed. Halcyon thinks he's been sighing a lot lately - Sora and Vanitas have been really pushing it.

"Nope. What's done is done. Now what are we going to do?" Vanitas deflected.

"We help Arlo and the T-rexes herd the longhorns in the right direction. This is a big herd and there's only four of them - we'll help them out. Discretely, of course."

"Alright! It's on!" Sora cheered. "This kinda feels like being a cowboy or a rancher!"

Vanitas groaned. "Somewhere, in some distant boring world, there is a human rights advocate having a conniption over the amount of free labor we keep doing."

~

_QUEST: Help Arlo and company discretely herd the longhorns._

_78% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Arlo and Spot joined Butch, Nash, and Ramsay around the campfire, trading stories and bugs as the night went on. Spot played between the large carnivores, before finally settling down beside Arlo. From a distance, Sora and Vanitas stood first watch, the two of them listening in on the stories of conquest and brutal encounters they’d had. Van looked utterly invested in their stories, and Sora had a mild idea that Van was probably committing their stories to memory so he could replicate them at a later date.

“You saying you’re not down to wrestle with a croc, Sora? C’mon,” Van sneered.

“In what ridiculous situation would we even have to find ourselves in for us to actually wrestle with a croc?” Sora asked, his brows going high at the other boy’s inquiry.

Van’s eyes twinkled with mischief. For some reason, the names _Peter Pan_ and _Captain Hook_ ran across Sora’s head.

“Oh you have _no_ idea.”

~

“You guys would have liked my Papa. He wasn’t scared of anything,” Arlo sighed. “I’m done being scared.”

“Who says I’m not scared?” Butch asked.

“But you took on a croc!”

“And I was scared doing it. If you ain’t scared of a croc bitin’ you down on the face, you ain’t alive.”

Arlo looked on in confused amazement.

“Listen kid: you can’t get rid of fear. It’s like Mother Nature: you can’t beat her or outrun her, but we can get through it, and you can find out what you’re made of.”

~

Later that night, Van’s words from days ago echoed back at him.

_“What is it that’s holding you back from being the person that you really are?”_

_Fear,_ Sora knew the answer now, _but of what?_

He shifted in his sheets, turning his head to look at the sleeping form of Vanitas a few feet away. He looked so innocent like this, his face free of smirks or glares, nothing but the plain face of the sleeping. Outside, he heard the crackle of a campfire, Hal and Chirithy taking second watch.

 _Oh_ , Sora thought, realizing the answer to his second question. He fell asleep a few hours later, still thinking of the reasons he was holding himself back.

~

They continued their journey. After helping Butch, Nash, and Ramsay, Arlo and Spot bid them farewell as they found their route home. Through wetlands and open fields, through forests and high cresting hills that reach the clouds, Arlo and Spot dashed forwards – towards home – laughing and enjoying the feeling of being free.

Arlo still acts mousy (a fact that Van snorts at, considering Arlo’s size) but gone is the Arlo that winces and shrieks at every unfamiliar thing they come across. He was different now: still cautious, but a touch braver than he was before.

Sometimes, when Arlo and Spot race each other across the fields during their journey, Sora can’t help but laugh along even from a distance, and he’d often race with Van if not spar with him, getting a workout from Meow Wow and Gaudium when the two are out.

Van has changed too; he still speaks crassly, and his actions still often lead them to trouble, but he is no longer malicious with his hits. His words have lost their sharp bluntness to insult and taunt, but underneath all his cussing and sarcasm belied the ability to care and be curious, and be surprisingly insightful and helpful.

Sora doesn’t voice it out though, fearing that Van might pull away or try to go back to his old ways if he pointed out the changes to the black-haired boy. He’s happy though, that Van is changing for the better.

He hopes he’s changing for the better too.

~

Once is an accident.

Twice is a coincidence.

Thrice is a pattern.

The storm was a pattern; Halcyon knew this, this was the weather pattern in Clawtooth Mountain. Yet when the third storm they were going to face rolled in, Halcyon still felt nervous about it.

“Okay. Another storm. No problem. We just need to keep good watch over the kids,” Hal muttered. From beside him, he saw Sora and Vanitas exchange a brief look in his periphery.

“We’ll be fine,” Halcyon breathed.

“Not for long,” Van groaned, pointing to the skies. Halcyon flicked his eyes to where the dark-haired boy was pointing, and he felt his spirits drop. It was the pack of pteronodons – Thunderclap and his gang – and with him was a fresh horde of flying Heartless.

“Motherfucker,” Hal cussed.

From behind him, he heard the sound of Unversed being summoned. Prepared this time, Hal managed to mount a flying Unversed like Van and Sora, and the together, the three of them took to the skies, Keyblades in hand, ready to face this next tedious challenge.

~

_QUEST: Defend Arlo and Spot from the flying Heartless and Thunderclap's flock._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_549 Heartless DEFEATED_

_85% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

They don’t make it in time. By the time they got rid of the Heartless, Thunderclap had snatched Spot from Arlo’s grip, and the rest of Thunderclap’s gang pushed the Apatosaurus off a cliff.

A strangled cry tore itself from Halcyon’s mouth.

_“PLANTERA!”_

Immediately, tendrils of vines and thick branches moved to intercept Arlo, cushioning his fall. Sora marvelled at the spell of a moment, sure that it was a spell he hadn’t learned in the past and just forgot, before dashing off to the dinosaur’s side.

Vanitas watched the flock of terrorizing pterosaurs fly away with their prey. He glanced at the helpless look on Sora’s face and the harsh expression on Halcyon’s. Having stood before many moments of major shifts in situations during his time with Xehanort before, he got the feeling this was such a moment.

The question Van knew to ask was: what would Sora do now?

~

"We need to move on."

"What?" Sora asked Halcyon incredulously.

"We need to move on," Halcyon repeated, pain in his voice, "we've tried our best to guide the two of them home, and to provide strength for them when needed, but there is a limit to the things we can do. Any further aid we give them is directly interfering, and we can't do that. We have to remain neutral about this."

"Neutral? You said it yourself, we aided them this much - we're clearly biased towards them. We haven't been neutral about this since the beginning!" Vanitas sneered.

"It was to help things move along. Maybe my bias has clearly showed before, but we can't be biased now. This is too big a confrontation to dip our hands in."

" _Now_ you decide to not let your bias show?!" Sora sputtered, "we're just going to abandon Arlo like this?"

"I never said we abandon Arlo, I merely said we move on from this, and still guide Arlo back home."

"That's _BULLSHIT!_ " Sora snapped, before summoning his Keyblade and turning his back on Halcyon. "I'm going to help Arlo."

"Sora, no! Remember what I told you! We're not allowed to interfere!"

"Well maybe I don't care about your stupid rules!" Sora shouted at him. "Maybe I care more about Arlo than some abstract concept of balance I don't even understand! Maybe helping Arlo _is_ part of keeping the balance! Maybe I'm tired of just watching from the sidelines and letting things happen when I know I can do something about it!"

 

 

Halcyon backtracked at Sora's outburst. In that moment, Sora felt heat traveling through his body, adrenaline and an indignant feeling coursing in him. He felt his heated gaze directed at Halcyon, hoping the older male would realize how wrong what Halcyon was asking them to ignore doing.

Sora doesn't have all his memories, and maybe they don't tell him much other than the people he's met, or his fragmented encounters with Riku, Kairi, and Roxas, but he knows deep inside him he's the exact kind of person who extends his hands to help when he can.

He's someone who wholeheartedly wants to help others.

For the very first time, Sora's finally starting to remember the kind of person he was. He was never one to sit out on the sidelines when he knew he could do something to help. He hates bullies, those who deliberately hurt others for their selfish personal gain, and he hates people who refuse to do the right thing because someone else told them not to. And maybe that's what got him into this mess - how he probably did something to help someone that ended badly for him - but despite not remembering what it was, he doesn't feel bad about it.

Not when it meant making a difference.

"All this time, I was willing to set myself back because I felt I wasn't ready. Because I was afraid I couldn't be this great person you all made me out to be. But I'm through with being afraid of my own shadow! What I did before, all those good things that's a part of my past that I can't remember...they wouldn't matter at all if I don't choose to make a stand in the present!"

Sora turned his body to fully face Halcyon, extending his Keyblade before him like an oath.

"This is me taking a stand. I don't care if your Dandelion rules tell us not to interfere. Right now, my heart is telling me to help Arlo, and that's exactly what I intend to do!"

There was a moment of silence before any of them spoke again.

"So what do you plan to do?" Sora turned to look at Van, who was eyeing him with a critical expression. His eyes almost looked golden, glowing in a way that was strangely haunting. It wasn't a judging look, but it was appraising in a way, like he was waiting for something big to happen.

"I'm going to help Arlo," Sora replied, "I'm going to help him be brave, and then I'm going to help him get Spot back from Thunderclap and the Heartless."

"And what say you, Halcyon? Are you going to stand in Sora's way?" Van asked the older male. Sora tensed as Halcyon's gaze hardened, those intense eyes trained on him with a calculating look. It oddly reminded him of someone.

 _Yen Sid_ , his memories whispered.

Before Sora could chase that memory, Halcyon's shoulders slump and a sigh escaped his lips. His eyes softened towards Sora, and a smile crept on his lips.

"No," the older male replied, "I won't get in your way Sora. You're right - we wouldn't be much of heroes if we walk away from something we could help with."

Sora couldn't believe it - was Halcyon agreeing with him just like that?

"Vanitas?" Sora turned to his dark-haired look-alike.

"Eh. Sure, why not? I don't got anything else planned at the moment anyways," Vanitas smirked, "you gonna give your pep talk to Arlo the Disaster Dinosaur?"

Sora beamed. "You bet!"

~

Vanitas watched as Sora took charge of talking to Arlo. After a shaky introduction which almost sent the young dinosaur into a skittish retreat, he and Sora seemed to get on quite well, with Sora being able to coax a motivated smile from the Arlo after just a few minutes of talking.

He side-eyed Halcyon standing beside him. "I thought you'd argue more with Sora on the whole no-interfering thing."

Halcyon merely shrugged. "What can I say? Sora made a very compelling statement. It would make me an asshole if I just ignored what he said, considering how I know he isn't wrong."

"Hmm," Vanitas hummed, "I suppose."

Halcyon threw him weird look. "You sound so arch about that."

Vanitas merely chuckled. "It just seems suspicious that you agreed to it so quickly, after all this time you harped on about not interfering at all."

Halcyon shook his head lightly. "To be fair, we _were_ already interfering. Just indirectly. This is just another step forward."

Vanitas barked a laugh. "It wouldn't be the first time though, wouldn't it?"

Halcyon's eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean?"

"Oh Hal," Vanitas sneered, "if there's one thing I learned from Xehanort at all, it's that the heart cannot lie. And you? You're an exceptionally _terrible_ liar."

Without looking back at Halcyon's expression, Vanitas strode forward to Sora, already planning how to ruffle Arlo's nervous feathers.

~

_QUEST: Lead Arlo to Thunderclap’s lair and save Spot._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_678 Heartless DEFEATED_

_90% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

_QUEST: Defend Arlo and Spot from the flying Heartless and Thunderclap's flock._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Halcyon_

_721 Heartless DEFEATED_

_92% Clawtooth Mountain MAP CLEARED_

_Continue >Save_

~

Sora knew the adventure was almost over after that.

After helping Arlo save Spot, Halcyon prompted Sora and Vanitas to go back to being incognito. Sora said a few parting words to Arlo, saying they’ll be watching over him and Spot as they make their way home, and without much fanfare, their separate groups went their ways.

Halcyon threw him a considering look after Sora reached them, hidden behind the trees.

“I thought you’d suggest we all travel together,” the older boy said.

Sora tilted his head in a thoughtful expression, his hand wandering to his chin, before smiling a little wanly at Hal. His hands dropped to his sides, before curling into soft fists.

“I wanted to help Arlo save Spot, because it was the right thing to do – because Arlo was going against forces he couldn’t deal on his own. There was the Heartless, and then the storm. But now, he’s...”

“Safe,” Halcyon finished for him. Sora nodded, but continued speaking, his brow furrowed.

“Yeah. But... finally, after so long, Arlo and Spot are going home. I wanted to help Arlo way back then because he was scared – because just like me, he was trying to fill out the footsteps of someone that set the bar high. Arlo was trying to follow in the footsteps of courage that Henry left behind, and I was trying to chase after the version of myself I don’t even remember. We were both afraid of not being good enough, and I guess I just projected that on him.

“But Arlo had learned how to be brave on his own, and it wasn’t because of me. I mean, yeah, we helped, but in the end, I think if Arlo didn’t become brave when he did, he wouldn’t have accepted our help and charged in to save Spot.”

“Arlo doesn’t need us to be brave for him anymore. So now we can only watch,” Sora whipped his gaze to Vanitas, who was looking at him with a serious expression, “we can only watch as he gets himself home, without our interference.” The brunet nodded at him, before looking down at his feet.

 _I want to go home, too,_ Sora couldn’t help but think. He looked at Vanitas and found him still looking at him with that strange expression, and he knows that Van must think of it too. Of going home. Maybe even together.

“So let’s watch over them then. The journey’s almost at its end.”

With Halcyon’s words, the three of them began their earnest watch over Arlo and Spot for the last stretch, all three of them preparing themselves for the journey’s end.

~

They find a group of humans on the way back. Arlo knew exactly what to do, and gave Spot a little nudging, and one last howl, trying to say all the feelings inside his heart that words were not enough to express.

_Goodbye. I love you. You’ll always be family to me. I’ll remember you. I won’t forget you._

_Thank you for everything._

In the end, Arlo makes it home alone, all by himself, just as he left his family’s farm all those weeks ago. He isn’t Henry – he’ll never be Henry – but that’s okay.

That’s okay.

He is himself. He is more. And sometimes, that’s enough.

Sora couldn’t look at Van or Hal during the apatosaurus’ family’s touching reunion – couldn’t look at anything at all really, with the tears in his eyes – and with Van’s hand tenderly holding his arm and Hal’s arm wound over his shoulders, he can’t help but feel just a little mix of lonely and contentment, like it feels like both hello and goodbye at the same time.

~

Halcyon made his decision a few hours later.

"Here," Halcyon handed Sora a bag full of trinkets. Sora put his hand in it and ruffled around its contents, looking at the items: an iron ring, a bulky compass, a white flower encased in crystal, a logo of a stylized 'i' on it, and a necklace of beads and feathers.

"What are these? Your garbage?" Vanitas arched an eyebrow at Halcyon.

"They're Gate Charms. So the two of you could continue your journey."

Sora and Vanitas were quiet before Sora was stunned at Halcyon's words. "Me and Van? But, what about you? Aren't you coming with us?"

Halcyon laughed, his eyes crinkling around the edges. "Oh Sora, I told you didn't I? This is my base world; I have to stay here. And besides, you and Vanitas have grown together so well, you guys don't need my guidance anymore."

"So you're letting us go, just like that?" Vanitas questioned, "do the others back at Scala know?"

"I've let my Chirithy know so he could relay the information to them," Halcyon replied, "they approved of it. You've reached the point where the two of you are capable of taking care of yourselves without my supervision. Be proud Sora; that means you're strong enough to handle most challenges in your way with only one powerful ally at your side. Vanitas too, you've certainly developed a tolerance for most things to not challenge every single breathing sentient being to a fight."

Sora stared at one of the items in his hand - the compass in his hand. It was strange object: it was a glass orb filled with dark blue liquid inside, specks of sparkling white dots resembling stars twinkling inside, with a bright red triangle pointing towards a soft white glowing orb larger than rest.

“So does this mean...goodbye?”

Halcyon gave him a soft look. "Oh, Sora. Only for now. It's not like I'm permanently stuck here; I still travel the worlds. I just stay here for most of the time. We'll see each other again."

Sora stared at another item in his hand, the ring made of iron. He absently turned it around his fingers, wondering if the ring would fit him.

"It doesn't feel like I'm ready to strike out on my own."

"You're not on your own, fuckwit," Vanitas rolled his eyes, "I'm going with you."

"That's not as confidence-inspiring as you think it is," Sora replied to him drily.

"Sora, listen, you're going to be fine," Halcyon consoled him, "remember what I said before? You've already got the makings of a great Keyblade wielder in you. You've gone so far, haven't you?"

"I didn't make it this far alone," Sora reasoned, "I got here because of everyone who supported me, and now..."

"Now you have Hal. And me. You're decent, and coming from the literal dark side of someone's heart, that's a fucking compliment," Vanitas rolled his eyes.

"You'll make it Sora. You'll travel and get better, you'll get to know yourself better, and then make it back to your friends. You can make your way _home_. You don't need me anymore, not with how great you're already doing."

"Not as good as you though. I can barely hack it even with a little memory."

"The way you were back there? That confidence and conviction to stand by what you believed was right? I'd say you did really well. You are me, and more," Halcyon took Sora's hand in his, echoing Henry's words back to him. "You'll do me proud. You already do."

Sora kind of gets it now, why Arlo tried so hard to be good for Henry, to live up to his legacy and be a good dinosaur. It wasn't just because of a sense of obligation and responsibility, or because he was working up to some noble end he wanted to uphold. Maybe it was just simply because Arlo loved his dad so much he wanted to be as good as him, because being like his dad felt like the closest he could get to be with him.

He doesn't remember his parents on the islands, but what he feels for Halcyon? Maybe he's got the right idea there.

"Yeah!" Sora flashed him a smile, trying to ignore the stinging feeling behind his eyes. "I'll do my best!"

~

"You lied."

Halcyon looked at Vanitas standing a few feet behind him, arms dropped to his sides. A distance away, Sora was ruffling through the numerous Gate Charms he was given, thinking about the next world they would go to, Meow Wow and Gaudium flitting around him. They were well out of the boy's earshot.

"What about exactly?" Halcyon threw back.

Vanitas sighed. "You said that one of the reasons we weren't allowed to interact with the denizens of this world was because it would damage its development. But you pushed that line far too much, far too many times, like you knew exactly when to push or pull back."

Halcyon raised an eyebrow at him. "As I should. It doesn't do well to be reckless."

"But then you went searching for Henry all by yourself after the flood," Vanitas continued, "and from how hoarse your voice sounded the morning after, you had been calling his name. You had planned to directly interfere, looking and guiding him back if you found him alive. And the fact they knew how to _farm_? C'mon, no matter how smart they could have become, there's no way they could've figured that out on their own."

Halcyon stayed silent.

"And when Arlo was beside himself with losing Spot? There wasn't really much hesitation on your part when Sora pushed for us to actively help him fight the Heartless and save Spot. In fact, it was like you planned to suggest doing it in the first place, only that Sora beat you to it and just played along."

"What are you trying to say?" Halcyon asked.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes at him. "We _were_ allowed to interact with Arlo and the others, but _you_ didn't want us to, didn't you?"

There was a beat of silence before the older male spoke.

"You make it sound as if what I did was a bad thing," Halcyon replied, "when I imposed that rule to teach you both important lessons."

"What fucking lessons? Our spar matches? You barely contributed to that!" Vanitas snapped at him.

"Cooking. Camping. Livelihood. Medicine that didn't involve magic. Bonding. A better sense of judgment," the older boy enumerated in a level voice, "actually living, rather than merely surviving."

Halcyon took a step towards the dark-haired boy. "You think I didn't notice how vulnerable Sora was? How his brightness is dimmed by the shadow of death that passed him? How he's come to depend on me and you to make most of our decisions in the earlier weeks, content to just do as he was instructed? You think I didn't notice him struggling with the absent weight of missing memories leaving him unsure of himself?

"Well I did, Vanitas. I did see it. And I see you too. I see how you hide your pain all the time behind a brutish personality. I see how you care for Sora, and how you seem to think you shouldn't, even when it's obvious that you do anyway. I see how you act like you're above emotions and feelings, when the truth is you think you don't deserve nice things.

"I see how you two are trying to piece back together the broken shards of who you were and who you're trying to be. And Sora doesn't have Goofy or Donald, or Riku and King Mickey, and you don't have Xehanort anymore, so where does that leave you two? You know I wouldn't always be with you - our parting was always inevitable. So I knew there was one thing I could do until that time came.

"Sora never had a problem with connecting with others, even after coming back from Shibuya; that was your weakness. But you Vanitas, you believed in your own power, in grabbing power to stand on your own with both hands without any regrets, where Sora was easily insecure about the power he believed he only wielded because of his friends. You, Sora, and Arlo all had fears and insecurities you needed to overcome on your own - and that could have only been possible if your interactions were limited. It was much for your benefit as it was for Arlo's.

"And through this journey, you've opened up to each other so much that the people you were in the beginning are different from the people you are now. You have changed, and for the better. So tell me Vanitas, was I wrong?"

There was a beat of silence.

"Sora was never weak," Vanitas replied in a steady voice, "and you're wrong - Sora didn't believe himself to be inadequate because of his friends support. It's not his fault he's grown exhausted of shouldering the expectations bestowed upon him as Keyblade wielder. Anyone would give under the weight of what Sora had to live with. That was what Xehanort bet on after all - how Sora would overextend himself in order to save the people he loves. I assume that's how he died in the first place."

Halcyon was surprised at Vanitas' words. "He's never told you how he died?"

"More like he doesn't remember yet," Vanitas shook his head, "and I don't need him to tell me. All you need is to know the kind of person Sora is, and you'll know that he'd definitely die for someone he loves."

Halcyon looked at Sora in the distance, who was now looking at them with a curious look. The boy in the distance put away the Gate Charms and walked towards them. "He's got too much heart in him."

"He does. You have no idea how many of us shared space in his heart at one point," Vanitas smirked. Halcyon gave him a curious look, like Van just cracked an inside joke he wasn't on. "And yeah, you're right. Maybe I do care about Sora. Maybe out of all the nice things I could have...yeah.”

Halcyon is struck speechless at the rare vulnerable look that passed Van’s face. It’s too precious – he’s tempted to look away.

“He could be enough," Van said, voice soft like a whisper.

He didn't get to question him on it further since Sora reached them.

"What are you guys talking about?" he asked them.

Halcyon didn't know what to say; Vanitas' last words left him too speechless to think for a quick response. Apparently though, he didn't need to, since Vanitas recovered and had an answer for him already. "Just general concerns for your life decisions. You're in charge now, got it?"

"Wow, you're letting me take the lead, Van? I'd thought I'd have to fight you on that," Sora mused.

"Oh, there _will be plenty_ of fighting over who does whatnot in the future," Vanitas flicked Sora's forehead, "but if I had to be responsible for leading around a manchild like you? Forget it. I'd rather play the mature adult and steer you in the right direction from time to time from the sidelines."

"I like how you say "from time to time," like you intend to let me screw up most of the time," Sora tossed him a dry look, rubbing his forehead. "Also, mature adult? Really?"

"What can I say, it'll keep things interesting," Vanitas smirked.

Halcyon chuckled at the two boys. After months of being on a mission together, it was finally time to let them go. It was a rather long time they spent - the longest time he's had company really, other than his Chirithy, after being alone for so long - and there's a part of him that wished to hold on to them, just a little longer.

Just a little bit more.

He pushes that wish away though; he needed to send them off properly. He cleared his throat and smiled at them, his eyes unfailingly going soft at Sora's openly excited expression. In the beginning, Sora already had that spark of a good Keyblade wielder, but his eyes were filled with confusion and insecurity, clouded by his amnesia and lack of knowledge of what's going on around him.

Now though, there was a sparkle in his eyes that had been rekindled - his conviction in helping and opening up to others finally resurfacing and showing him the trace of the boy Lauriam described in his stories. His lack of memories no longer burden him, not when his heart is centered. It reminded him of his younger days - of him, so naive and ready to make a difference with the world.

_“What’s the matter?”_

_“Those black things chased me and my family out of our home.”_

_“The Heartless?”_

_“Is that what they’re called?”_

_“Yeah! I can help with that! Where’s your family?”_

_“I...I don’t know. I got separated from Granpa Little Foot and the herd. I don’t...I don’t even know if they made it out of the valley...”_

_“...”_

_“...”_

_“...Don’t worry. You have me now! I can be your family! I’ll protect you!”_

_“Really?”_

_“Yeah! I’m kinda not supposed to, but my heart knows this is what I need to do!”_

_“I’d really like that...um...?”_

_“Halcyon. My name’s Halcyon. And yours?”_

_“I’m Henry.”_

With his descent to Darkness and restoration, most of Clawtooth Mountain has forgotten about him over time. It deeply hurt, having one of his first friends forget who he was, and he had resolved to leave himself content with holding people at a distance to prevent getting too attached.

He’s lost Ephemer and Skuld already. And now, Henry too.

“Halcyon?”

Halcyon snapped out of his reverie and refocused on Sora, who was looking at him with a concerned expression. Vanitas raised a brow at him.

“Do you know where you’re going next? Picked out a Gate Charm yet?” Halcyon asked him.

“Yeah, I decided on this,” Sora held out the ring made of iron; it was a crude item, cheaply done, but it emanated a slight aura of magic, “I have a good feeling about it.”

Halcyon chuckled. “Alright then Sora. Ready to go? Have everything with you? Your bag’s good? Haven’t forgotten anything?”

“Yep, all accounted for! Me and Vanitas are all set!”

"Well then." He cleared his throat once more, dismissing the tightness around his throat as he addressed Sora. He summoned his Keyblade and extended it sideways in front of him, displaying the profile of his Keyblade, Fatal Crest.

“Sora, wielder of the light and the Keyblade, honorary Dandelion; as your mentor, I, Halcyon, approve of your journey with your companion, Vanitas, wielder of darkness and the Keyblade, honorary Dandelion. It is with great pride I bless this journey you will embark on with the best of fortunes and luck, and that if you shall lose your way, may you always find your way back to the light.”

Sora stared at him with wonder, his Keyblade glowing with a faint light. All around them, orbs of light floated in the air, giving Halcyon’s blessing a mystical and formal air. Sora couldn’t help but dart a quick glance at Van and be reminded of the evening with the fireflies all those nights ago, and what it meant to both of them.

“Heed thy advice: to thine own self be true. May your heart be your guiding key.”

And with his parting words, Halcyon dismissed his Keyblade in a vibrant display of scattering light, and smiled at the awestruck duo before him. The older male’s eyes shone with unshed tears and pride, and Sora felt so _goddamn lucky_ in that moment, to have someone be so proud of him for being himself.

“Good luck you two.”

Sora swiped at his eyes and nodded, giving him a beaming smile. “You bet!”

Without further delay, Sora summoned his own Keyblade and activated the Gate Charm. Much like before, the charm floated in the air and glowed with ethereal light, before transforming into a giant Keyhole manifesting as the Gate to the Worlds. Halcyon looked at the Keyhole like it was a final sentence.

Just as Halcyon turned to look back at Sora, he felt something launch at him, and when he looked down, it was Sora, hugging him tightly and burying his face in his chest. Halcyon couldn’t breathe, and it wasn’t because Sora was hugging him tightly. Vanitas approached them, and for the first time, something that wasn’t a scowl or a smirk was gracing his face.

Vanitas was smiling. And gods, did it suit him.

“Maybe you’re right: maybe I don’t need you anymore,” Sora spoke, his voice muffled in his chest, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t _want_ you anymore. Because I do. I wish you were coming with us.”

 _Oh hell no, don’t you_ dare _cry, Halcyon, don’t you_ dare.

“Take care of each other, alright?” Halcyon croaked. Sora pulled himself away a bit and smiled.

“We will. See you soon, dad!”

_Ah, shit._

And finally, after so long, Halcyon allowed himself to cry. “See you later, kids.”

~

Halcyon sat perched on a tree on the outskirts of the Apatosaurus family’s farm. It had been a day since Sora and Vanitas left, and almost two days since they had escorted Arlo back to his family. It was bittersweet, that Arlo had finally made it full circle - more grown and experienced, and braver than before - just as much as he did.

“How are you doing, Hal?”

Halcyon turned to look beside him. His Chirithy sat beside him, looking over the farm. It was nostalgic, sitting beside the companion he's always had since the beginning.

“I’m fine, Chirithy.”

“Really, now? You’re giving me that?” Chirithy asked archedly.

Halcyon chuckled. “Fine. I just... I miss them already. More than I thought I would.”

“Hmm. I’m glad.”

“Glad?”

“You’re finally being honest again. I was worried about you, you know. We haven’t had an actual conversation like this outside of battle in a long time. You pushed everyone away too much, including me, especially since...everything.”

“I... yeah."

It was true. Ever since everything went awry, since Daybreak Town glitched and became Scala ad Calum, and since the leaders disappeared one by one, he had experienced loss of purpose and direction, and had then descended to darkness. By some miracle, he was one of the few who had re-emerged earlier, and had since then battled for the side of Light and what was left of the Dandelions.

But he wasn't completely fine. His time in the darkness had instilled a sort of independence in him that highlighted the part of his personality that looked out for other people, but was too afraid of loss. He wanted to be needed, despite wanting not to need anyone. In the end, he kept people at a distance. That was why he hadn't been against leaving Scala and Lauriam and Elrena in the first place, and why he was rushing leaving Traverse instead of talking with his fellow Dandelions.

Clawtooth Mountain was his escape - his personal prison of isolation - where he could watch one of his oldest friends, Henry, and watch over Sora and Vanitas from a distance.

He should've known better.

"Sora and Vanitas reminded me of something important.”

“And what is that?”

“That it’s better to have loved and lost, than to have never have loved at all." Halcyon looked at his hands with a pinched smile, shaking his head at such clichéd words. "I love my friends, Chirithy. But it hurt too much to have lost them. I thought I’d always have Ephemer and Skuld with me, until I hadn’t. Having lost Henry without ever reconnecting with him because I was too afraid of the heartbreak of losing him is a regret I don’t think I can ever forget about, but... maybe this time, I can open up again. Be more than just another Dandelion fighting for the Light.

“It’s shit, a broken heart. But I’d rather take that than nothing at all.”

Chirithy gave him a glowing look.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away before Chirithy. I know...I know it wasn't fair to you." Halcyon apologized. Chirithy just chuckled.

“It's okay, Halcyon. I'm just glad you're finally getting better. Well, you better get yourself together quickly then. You’re a father now, aren’t you?” Chirithy teased.

Halcyon laughed, and this time, the warm feeling in his chest was welcome, no longer afraid of the heartbreak that loss would give him. He's tired of being afraid, hiding away his heart behind distance and self-imposed prison worlds. He dragged Chirithy sitting beside him into an affectionate hug and closed his eyes, already starting to count the days he can see Sora and Vanitas once more.

He can't wait to see his kids again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY, finished with the longest arc yet. I am honestly in awe at how LONG Clawtooth Mountain took to write. I originally planned to have one chapter per world for their adventures, so having written 3 actual chapters for a single world was a shock. I did not expect to have so much material to write with, and having it all written out in a way that satisfied me.
> 
> The ending was a lot shorter than I thought it would be; some parts felt rushed, like the parts that involved Thunderclap, because I felt their impact to the storyline was at base to be just the main physical antagonist. The point of Clawtooth mountain was based on personal/character development after all, and Thunderclap doesn't really add to that. Plus, I felt the movie would suffice to explain the pteronodon's character. I did resolve to include the T-rexes though; they were cute. lol
> 
> Sora, Van, and Hal each had their won shining moments in the ending, and a lot of what happened earlier was given more context. Personally, I'm surprised at how mellowed out Van turned out (and how much he'll continue to change in the later chapters if my drafts are any indication) and I'm glad how I fleshed out Sora's character. I felt like I've finally written them in a way that I could write them to be more relatable? Mature? Older? Better versions of themselves in contrast to how canon left their character development to the wayside? (Yes, Vanitas, I expected more from KH3 dammit) Despite how happy-go-lucky Sora is, I guess I just wanted to write him being both optimistic AND realistic - I felt Sora needed to "grow up" in a sense, and I intend to write him so!
> 
> Best character development definitely goes to Halcyon though - the minor character who took more of the spotlight than I intended. I'm so happy and proud with how I wrote him; I'm actually sad now that his character will appear less in the future. He'd still make a comeback - he did manage to snag a sort-of major character role - so expect him to be back very much later!
> 
> On a special note: the gate charms! Can you guess the worlds that would be making their appearances? Let me know your guesses in the comments below! The next update will most likely be an interlude with the other characters, so we'll see more of the others in the next upload.
> 
> What did you guys think of this arc? Sound off in the comments and let's talk!


	9. Interlude III: Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi and Axel reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Before anything else, I want to tell all my readers a MASSIVE THAAAAAANK YOUUUUUUUUU FOR READING MY LITTLE FANFIC!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! I love and appreciate each and everyone of you, and I adore every single one of you who leave comments with every update. I know I suck at replying right away (I mostly respond around the time I upload the new chapter-like now) but I do try to reply and engage with everyone of you and your comments make me so HAPPY!!!!! So yes, thank you so much for sticking by me throught my sporadic upload sched and chapter lengths. Hahaha, you guys are the best!!!!
> 
> I finally finished the project I was asked to extend on at the office, so I'm officially off work and taking a vacation before review starts! This chapter update - an Interlude - is a short one, and something I had been waiting to upload as I continue to work on the other incoming chapters.
> 
> Anyways, art block has hit me and I have no art for this update as well, but I am hoping I that the next chapter would have that at least. Without further ado, here's Interlude III.

Watching the sunset by the usual place held a more sombre feeling these days, the company she'd like to have kept were all worlds away. She stared at her hands absently, willing herself to cheer up, but it's a difficult thing to surpass - trying to feel strong when all you feel is helpless.

Still, Kairi tried to think positively. Her friends have been giving her space, and while she appreciates it, she doesn't always like it. Time alone gives her mind the chance to wander to depressing thoughts, and she's not the kind of girl who likes to wallow in self-pity. She's the girl that would grab on to a chance to fight back, hands reaching out for a Keyblade to prove she was more than just the girl who gets left behind.

She hates it, how she fell so, so short of her expectations for herself.

People tried cheering her up. Aqua's maternal approach towards her has put her at ease plenty of times, and Xion and Naminé proved to be the sisters she never thought she needed in her life. Roxas indulges her every time she asks for a spar, the only one who takes her seriously to work out the frustrations out of her system, the one who understands the feeling of fighting so hard against succumbing to one's poor fortune.

The strangest interactions she'd had, but just as equally comforting, were from Riku, Axel, and surpisingly enough, Isa. Riku and her were good with each other, but dealing with losing Sora was difficult - they all had deep, unexplainable feelings towards Sora: family, friendship, camaraderie, _more_ \- that they reminded each other too much of the boy that wasn't with them. Sora's loss put an unexpected strain on their interactions those first few days, but it's grown easier with time and distance; Riku traveling the worlds looking for Sora, occasionally sending Kairi short texts and photos he took on his journey made Kairi felt closer to the silver-haired boy.

It still felt like Riku was escaping - from what, she couldn't tell.

Despite her history with Saix, Kairi liked Isa. The blue-haired man never faltered in his stoic expression, yet his genteel personality betrayed the concern and sensitivity he possessed towards those around him, more so towards Axel, and eventually, her. During days when Kairi felt lonely and didn't particularly care for anyone's company but still wanted to be around someone, it was Isa she sought out, quietly having tea with him or joining him on his couch and reading foreign literature at the place he and the rest of their friends got by the mainland in Destiny Islands.

That was also one of the things they have now - world bases. The first base was at Destiny Islands of course, following it was Mysterious Tower, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, and then Land of Departure. Each of those worlds either had a place dedicated solely for them - like a home away from home.

Kairi couldn't help think that Sora would've loved it.

"Hey princess."

 

 

And then there was him.

"Axel," Kairi smiled at him, feeling her shoulders already relax. Without another word, the tall redhead hoisted himself on the tree trunk, leaving a good foot of distance between them. Kairi didn't hesitate to scoot closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Axel brought his arm around her gave her shoulder a comforting pat, before withdrawing his arm back to his lap.

In the time Sora and Riku spent wandering worlds driving back the darkness, Kairi and Axel had spent weeks in Merlin's pocket world to train and get themselves powered up for the fight with Xehanort. They trained, ate, gave advice, and slept in the same world together - trading stories about the Islands and Garden, and getting to know each other. Kairi loved it when Axel talked about Sora and Riku in the days when they were fighting the Organization at Castle Oblivion and all around the worlds, and Axel would listen to her attentively when she shared stories of her, Sora, and Riku when they were kids.

Kairi loved writing her letters, but she also liked the gentle way Axel looked at her when she was talking, like he was really listening, and she liked how Axel remembered even the most minute details from her ramblings, such topics coming up in their conversations days, even weeks, after the thing had been said.

Sora and Riku would always be her best friends, but she felt that after everything, despite the short amount of time they've known each other compared to her two childhood friends, Axel deserved that special space in her heart too. If Xion and Naminé were like her sisters, Axel was the big brother she wished she had - dependable and always looking out for her, ready with a quick joke or sassy remark to cheer her up, looking at her like she was more than just a "princess", like she was a warrior, just like the rest of them.

"Feeling hungry? Isa's cooking dinner at the place tonight."

"Okay," Kairi chuckled. She liked this part about Axel too, how he offered her company without the pressure to accept. With others, she's probably bow out and say she's tired or that she ate already, and promptly go home after a nice chat instead of extending company.

But it was Axel who asked though, so she accepted. She's realized that there were few things she denied the redhead these days.

After a few minutes of silent companionship watching the sunset, the two of them walked back to the Keyblade wielders' world base.

~

On Destiny Islands, their world base is a modest narrow two-storey shophouse with clay tile roofing and awnings, possessing enough floor area to accommodate everyone living in it. The place looked used in, having numerous posters and signs hanging and stuck on the walls and partitions, giving the place a vibe that made it seem like it's always existed there. The second floor served as their bedroom areas where they all slept in shared rooms with their own bathrooms. The ground floor housed the living space, kitchen and dining area, with the open front serving as a sweets shop selling different candies and sweets from various worlds the Keyblade wielders brought from their own travelling. The best seller, surprisingly enough, was Twilight Town's sea salt ice cream.

Axel called the shop "The Keybladers", even putting up a tacky backlit sign by the roof awning. Roxas and Xion laughed and said they loved it, while Naminé  and the Wayfinder trio chuckled to themselves, amused as well. Isa and Riku looked like they wanted to facepalm and strangle their redheaded friend. Surprisingly, the seal of approval came from King Mickey himself.

"I think it's a good name," His Majesty grinned, "it's simple and direct. And I have a feeling the name will attract good luck."

"Ya think so? I just thought to call it that because saying we're  'Keyblade users' or 'Keyblade wielders' or any of that variation was a mouthful. Glad you like it though!" Axel gave the King a thumbs up.

And that was that.

Usually, Terra and Aqua - their group's parents, Ventus has fondly called them - man the counter and manage the shop. Aqua is a big hit with the children and teenagers, while Terra is constantly hit on by young women - and the occasional young man - and old ladies buying candy for their grandkids. Kairi thinks it's funny when someone so tall and broad and fierce in battle like Terra looks so awkward and flustered when people flirt with him, and thinks of how unrestrainedly gentle and fondly he looks at Aqua when she smiles and jokes with the neighbourhood kids from a distance. She kind of agrees with Ventus when he says that "those two might take a while".

Today, with both Keybladers out on missions, it was just Ventus minding the shop.

When they were out of their signature outfits, everyone had a terrible time of telling Roxas and Ventus apart - in fact, there was an incident when both of them wore the same thing at the same time to mess with everyone, and they got a strict lecture from Terra for it. Having known them separately before, Axel could tell them apart from just the barest details, even sharing their tells with Kairi; like how Ven's eyes where bigger and bluer and he tended to smile more, and how Roxas looked _exactly like Sora_ except he had Ven's blond hair and style, and he was more muscle-toned and broader, and walked like he was taller.

"Hey Axel! Hi Kairi!" Ven chirped at them.

"'Sup Ven," Axel greeted back, "you joining us for dinner?"

"Hmmm, yeah, okay. It's getting pretty dark anyways, I'll just close up shop."

Axel and Kairi quietly helped Ven put away the signs and standees inside and closing shop; Kairi approached the huge potted plant by the entrance and grabbed the watering can beside it, giving the plant a drink of water. Out of all the plants he could've given, Kairi couldn't think why King Mickey chose something as ordinary as this one. When she asked, His Majesty looked at Ven, and the two of them just gave her a cryptic smile, like they were keeping a particularly funny inside joke.

"Since you're calling this place 'The Keybladers' I thought this plant would be perfect here."

Kairi didn't understand what relationship Keyblades and a pot of dandelions held, but she didn't dwell on it too much.

~

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. I'm so full! Thanks for the food Isa!" Ven stretched his arms above his head before pulling his palms together, in what Kairi surmised was a gesture of gratitude.

Isa merely nodded, before he chided Ven's foot from across him and prompted him to stand.

"You can show me your gratitude by helping me with the dishes." Ven pouted but otherwise acquiesced, happy to help around the chores. Sitting across her, Axel rested his head on one hand, his eyes carefully taking Kairi in.

"Not very talkative tonight," Axel remarked in a low voice. Despite there being a good distance between the dinner table and the kitchen counter, Kairi appreciated how Axel tried to downplay the conversation to just the two of them.

"Just getting lost in thought," Kairi smiled, "I'm still wondering about the pot of dandelions His Majesty gave the shop as a housewarming gift."

"Knowing him, there must be some cosmic joke involving a convoluted and complicated history behind it," Axel said drily. Kairi laughed lightly - it wouldn't surprise her if Axel was right.

"You're really quiet today, princess," Axel ventured again.

Kairi sighed. It's not that she didn't want to talk to Axel about it - she wanted to talk about it with someone - but she just didn't know how to begin. She stared at her open palms resting on the table.

"Remember when you told me about how you first summoned a Keyblade at Mysterious Tower and everyone was so surprised?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah?"

"Sometimes I think back to when I did the same back in The World That Never Was. It's not that nobody was surprised, but it was more like 'oh-she-can-use-one-now-too' than 'what-the-hell-what-just-happened?'."

"So you didn't shock the audience when you first summoned your Keyblade," Axel hummed, "big deal. You're still a Keyblader."

"But that's the thing!" Kairi hissed, "I don't _feel_ like I'm a Keyblader. I don't feel like I'm a warrior. I just feel like a liability. The only thing shocking I find about all this was how despite having a Keyblade, I am still somehow the _damsel in distress!_ "

"You know it isn't your fault that Sora's gone," Axel replied softly, his hands extending forward to grab Kairi's clenched fists, "Xehanort's an asshole, and Sora made his choice to save you."

"He didn't have to make that choice."

"You would have done the same for him."

"Has it ever occurred to you, any of you," Kairi said slowly, "that perhaps I didn't want to be saved?"

There was a moment of silence in the house. Even the sound of washing dishes were gone.

"Kairi..." Axel's face fell in sorrow and horror.

Oh god, now she's done it. "NO! No no no no! That's not what I meant! I'm not suicidal or regretting getting saved or anything! I just meant that I didn't want to be saved _in that way!_ As in having someone give up their life for me! That's what I meant!" Kairi rushed, her face reddening into an embarrassed shade.

"Oh," Axel visibly calmed down.

"It's just...I'm happy Sora saved me. I'm happy I'm here. I'm happy that everyone's here, but I'm not happy that he's the only one who isn't here. It sucks. I wish I had the power to do more for him, but I'm...

"I'm stuck. And I hate it, I hate how every opportunity I'm given to get stronger, every chance I get to prove I'm more than just a 'princess of heart' or whatever, and that I'm just as strong as any of you, that every chance I get to train and sweat and bleed and _sacrifice_ to fight alongside all of you, that every effort I've made to get where I am on my own power and everyone else's encouragement and support, I am still the one that needs saving. It's like no matter how hard I try...I'm doomed to be the weak link in a chain of strong warriors."

Kairi didn't realize she was crying until she felt Axel's fingers wiping away her tears. She didn't even realize that Axel had moved his chair closer to Kairi until they were sitting beside each other.

"Do you believe that? Is that what you've been thinking? Is that why you've refused to talk about this with anyone?" Axel asked gently.

"I just don't think anyone of you would understand. Aqua, Terra, and Ven fought tooth and nail to overcome the Darkness. Xion and Roxas were basically born to be excellent fighters. Even you, you were already good at fighting before you got your Keyblade. And I don't even have to explain Sora, Riku, and the King."

"If there is anyone here who understands the feeling of being the weak link, I think I'd know quite a bit about that."

Kairi and Axel swiveled around to look at the source of the voice. Ventus leaned casually by the kitchen counter as Isa was drying the dishes. The blond approached the table and took back his seat beside Kairi from dinner earlier.

"You?" Kairi sniffed, "you're anything but weak."

"I got my heart hacked in two by Xehanort," Ventus began drily, "was practically useless when Master Eraqus took me in, and I was leagues behind Terra and Aqua when our training began. I got possessed by the dark part of my heart, then broke my heart _again_ , had Sora fix my heart _twice_ because of that, and then I slept for ten years at a secluded place without aging while everyone else fought in the outside worlds. Trust me, I'm familiar with the feeling of being the useless one in the group."

"To be frank," Isa chimed in, drying his hands on a towel before hanging it by the fridge handle, "it would be more accurate to say you have the worst luck rather than you being weak."

"I don't see how that's supposed to make her feel better, Isa," Axel gave his friend a deadpan look.

"Look at it this way; Kairi managed to fight off hordes of Heartless the same way all of you did back at the Graveyard. She, alongside you and Sora, managed to match  Xion and I, veterans when it came to combat, when we were under Xemnas' influence, despite the fact that she only had weeks to prepare with you. Kairi _is_ strong. It's just not her fault some higher power out there is holding her back."

Isa wound his way towards their small group. "Despite what you may believe, you _are_ strong. Your current circumstances don't change that."

"You're just as strong as any of us Kairi," Axel smiled at her, "you're a warrior! Got it memorized?"

"Thanks Isa, thanks Axel," Kairi smiled, "that means a lot."

Isa flashed her the briefest of smiles, before turning back to the fridge, presumably to get dessert.

"I just... I keep thinking, why am I so unlucky like this?  Ever since this whole thing began, I've been feeling like I'm always the one getting left behind," Kairi frowned.

"God, same," Ven muttered.

"Well, just know that whatever higher being there is, they're not enough to contain us. Not for long, not like this," Isa returned to the table carrying a small cake the four of them could share. Isa handed Axel the cake and knife, while the long-haired man deposited plates and forks before each of them.

"Pretty optimistic there, Isa," Axel teased, as he placed an obviously larger-than-the-rest slice of cake on his own plate. Isa rolled his eyes.

"I agree with Isa," Ven quipped, "it's a huge place out there, with infinitely numerous worlds just waiting to be explored to try our luck at. I don't know what ultimately brought us here to where we are, or what gave you such terrible luck to be a fighter, Kairi; maybe it's been written in the stars, the Light, Lux, fate, destiny -"

"Tetsuya Nomura," Axel cut in drily.

"- or Kingdom Hearts itself, but you’re meant for great things Kairi," Ven finished.

"Greater than this, at the very least," Isa emphasized, pointedly looking at Axel messily demolishing his cake.

"What can I say? The French make great pastries; no cake's better than something straight outta Cités des Cloches," the redhead shrugged.

Kairi and Ven laughed at Axel's antics, with Ven getting a slice for himself and Kairi on each of their plates. The rest of the conversation devolved into Isa sharing a particularly funny anecdote about his recent encounter with Esmeralda at the French world - complete with his deadpan delivery and Axel's dry humor and sarcasm - and Ven telling them about his training with Roxas in Twilight Town and the other worlds they could manage to sneak off to.

Axel even told them about the one time he caught Terra asking Naminé for a nice gift for a girl, asking " _Should I get her that book she said she wanted the other day, or would that be too practical, or should I get her new shoes she saw - wait I don't know her shoe size"_ , to which Naminé replied " _Why don't you just give her a nice bouquet of flowers you picked yourself, take her out to dinner, and get her that necklace she saw in London that she's obviously wanted since she saw it. Anyways, whatever you do, I'm sure_ you _are the best gift Aqua could get"_. That made Terra blush profusely, and they all cackled at how excellently the blonde handled Terra so well.

Terra and Naminé's friendship was so unexpected, but apparently it was the blonde girl who talked to Terra's Lingering Will to help them at the Graveyard before, and the two have been friends since then. Kairi thought it was cute.

Later, when things wound down, Isa and Ven excused themselves to retire to their rooms for the night, leaving Kairi and Axel to wash the dishes from dessert earlier. It had grown quiet again between them, but instead of the stifling silence of overthinking and negative thoughts Kairi had before, the silence between them was peaceful and companionable, the way words aren't needed to make a conversation.

"Thanks for inviting me to dinner tonight, Axel," Kairi said, handing the older male the last of the plates she washed. She watched as Axel lazily dried off the dish before placing it on the drying rack, a soft look on his face.

"Don't sweat it, princess," Axel chuckled, "just glad you managed to take that off your chest after all this time."

"You knew...?"

"In a way. I know how to read people; it's sorta my thing, y'know? I could kinda tell you were reaching your limit with bottling up your feelings."

Kairi chuckled, drying her hands on the towel Axel tossed to her. She placed the tower on one of the drawer handles before facing Axel.

"Thanks Axel. Really. For everything."

Axel winked. "What else can I say? I'd always be here for my friends. Got it -"

"-memorized? Definitely."

Kairi laughed as Axel rolled his eyes at her, and this time, she finally felt she could get past this cloud of negativity hanging around her since Sora slipped away from them. She's had enough of moping around - she has her friends and her own personal training to take care of - and now, she could finally start looking forward to the future.

She'll start counting the days she could see Sora again, which, with her gut feeling and their general brand of luck, wouldn't take them too long at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually wrote this interlude quite some weeks ago, and was only uploaded now because the Clawtooth arc drew out for so long. lol I only corrected and added a few details here and there, and this was pretty much it.
> 
> Anyways, this standard 3k length update was actually my target average chapter length - I didn't plan for this fic to be long - but well, that ship has sailed, so I'll just write as I see fit in whatever length that I feel would satisfy me and the narrative.
> 
> Kairi and Axel are a pair I had been ITCHING to write, and I'm so glad I got around to writing them as I did. I felt like the two of them needed more screentime interacting together with Sora and Riku in KH3, their now group of 4 joined by this tall sarcastic softie. I'm quite proud as to how I wrote Isa and Kairi's unusual friendship as well, and how typically teenager-like Ven was in this interlude as opposed to him being a little mysterious shit around Roxas in a previous interlude.
> 
> With current life happening for me, I'd say it would take me a few weeks before the next update: after all, the next chapter is another world for Sora and Vanitas to explore, and I want to flesh out the chapter properly before uploading. On that note, can anybody guess which world they're heading towards next? Leave your comments and guesses below!


	10. Chapter 6 - I know you (I walked with you once upon a dream)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas make it out of one forest world, only to land in another forest world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I'm finally starting my review classes this week, and I've been busy packing up and arranging things for my move. It's been hectic, and it will be more hectic in the months to come, so expect that I won't be able to update more regularly. Like, once a month, instead of twice. If I'm lucky even, to spare some time. Hahahaha
> 
> Anyways, I managed to get past a little bit on the art block, so I updated the last chapter and interlude with their respective artworks, so you guys check those out! This chapter has only one artwork, but one that I like regardless, considering how long it took me to get motivated to ink it.
> 
> Also, that thing I said each chapter being 3k or 4k words each? HA. Screw it. You're getting this 11k words of monstrosity instead. I tried so hard to shorten it, but it felt lacking, especially with what I've done with Clawtooth Mountain arc, so I resolved to get this chapter written as developed as I could without it being TOO long. Still lengthy though. lol
> 
> Well, here's the latest chapter, so without further ado, here's Chapter 6!!!

“Huh. Not much different from Clawtooth Mountain, this world is.”

Sora opened his eyes and found Van walking a few feet in front of him. The dark haired boy was inspecting a red-flowering plant at the edge of the forest clearing they found themselves in, looking mildly unamused at the apparent unchanged scenery. Sora took a gander at where they were, and found that Van was right – they were in a forest not much unlike the previous world.

“And here I was hoping for a nice change of scenery. Was that so hard to ask?” Van continued complaining in a low mutter.

Sora approached him from behind and stopped a few feet away, a polite distance from Van. “Well, in any case, we should explore and see what this world has. Maybe we’ll even find someone who could help us.

Vanitas sighed and straightened up, stretching his arms above his head and facing Sora. “Tsk. How boring.” Without a wasted moment, Vanitas summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at Sora. The latter merely gave him a dry look.

“What? C’mon, new world, new setting. Let’s see how things go here, huh?”

“That’s not even a viable reason for us to fight,” Sora sighed, but nonetheless summoning his Keyblade. He’s figured this part of Vanitas at least; if he indulges him in fights, he’s more likely to be agreeable in the long run. It’s exhausting, but in Sora’s books, very much necessary if he wants to be friends with Van for the foreseeable future.

“Let’s see what you got.” Vanitas smirked.

~

_QUEST: Defeat Vanitas._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Vanitas DEFEATED_

_LEARNED Guard!_

_LEARNED Combo Master!_

_LEARNED Vortex!_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Vanitas jumped back after parrying a strike from Sora, sending a Dark Fira in front of him as a counterattack. Sora cast a Watera to counter it, and simply stood where he was in a solid battle stance, already anticipating Van’s next quick and successive attacks.

 _He’s learned to read me a bit,_ Vanitas thought curiously, _I suppose that’s a given, with how much we’re fighting these days._

Instead of attacking, Vanitas dropped his Keyblade to his side, raising his left hand and waving it lazily. “That’s enough, I’m bored again.”

“Wha-?” Sora stumbled a bit from his posture and looked at him incredulously, his face in an expression of blindsided surprise. “So we’re just stopping here? Just like that?”

Van merely raised an eyebrow at him. “You wanted to continue? What, did you actually want a serious fight? Look who’s getting battle-hungry.”

Sora immediately dismissed his Keyblade and glared at him. “I am _not_ battle-hungry! You’re the one who insists on fighting at random times!”

“For training,” Van retorted. “I may not like it, but I am doing this to train you like Halcyon asked. Besides, it keeps us both in condition so we don’t lose touch when it comes to more serious battles, and actually keep track of our improvement.”

Sora threw him a pensive look, as a slow but small smile bloomed on his face. “Makes sense. Wow, that’s actually considerate of you. Which part of you hurt for actually being accommodating?”

“My goddamn back, what with me having to carry your weight around most of the time.”

Sora pouted at him. Van just snickered at him.

“Are we going now? We should do a bit of exploring!” Sora grinned, beaming at him. Van couldn’t help but just sigh; dealing with Sora was like dealing with an overexcited puppy.

“Fine. Lead the way if it so pleases you.”

~

_QUEST: Explore and look for residents. Defeat the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_46 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_20% MAP CLEARED_

~

The two of them had been walking for an hour or two, clearing the waves of Heartless that they’ve encountered, and so far, they haven’t bumped into anyone or anything else yet. Vanitas knows the world is inhabited by many creatures and denizens, yet somehow, he and Sora have yet to meet them. He feels many eyes watching him at the back of his head, and Van doesn’t hesitate to send out his Unversed to scout the areas around them to make sure none of them make any wrong moves on them.

Call him paranoid, but at least nothing’s going to get the jump on him.

Despite his earlier comment of this world being similar to Clawtooth Mountain, further exploration tells them that it’s decidedly _not_ like the previous world. The skies above them were overcast, not even sunlight could pierce it, and the forest was silent, not even the hum of insects or scurrying of forest animals could be heard. It was like the forest was holding its breath, refusing to breathe lest he and Sora discover its secrets.

In front of him Sora continued walking, his hands clamped together at the back of his head, his footsteps sure but distracted. It’s not that Van was worried about Sora, but he does reserve the right to be concerned if the dumbass isn’t paying enough attention to his surroundings.

“Yo. Sora. What the hell’s bugging you? You’re barely paying attention where you’re walking.”

Sora visibly jumped at Van’s prompting, before turning around and giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I was just...remembering stuff. About the Islands, and a few worlds that this forest reminded me of.”

“You’ve been to many worlds with forests then?” Van asked.

“Yep,” Sora replied, sounding much more cheerful now, “a few come to mind. Pride Lands, the Land of Dragons, even a section of the Caribbean. Destiny Islands had forests too, and Twilight Town had some woods surrounding the old mansion. Corona, Wonderland, and the base of Mount Olympus, too.”

“Looks like you’re remembering a lot.”

“Not much actually,” Sora’s smiled dropped a bit. “I remember the worlds, but I don’t really remember what’s happened when I was there. I mean, I definitely remember Donald and Goofy with me, and a bunch of my other friends I’ve met in those worlds like Simba and Rapunzel, but I still can’t recall what I was doing in those worlds exactly, and what I accomplished.”

“So a lot of crap memories that don’t really tell much huh?” Van mused. “Figures.”

“I wouldn’t say they’re crap memories. I’m glad I got them back, they’re all happy memories. I even remember the feeling of having fun in them, despite fighting a lot of enemies and Heartless.” Sora’s bright smile returned, and Van had to look away.

“And of course you focused on the funsies of the trip. How typical.”

“You would, too, I think. Tell me, back in Clawtooth Mountain, what’s the memory that sticks out the most to you?”

_Sora and Meow Wow. Gaudium. And a night filled with fireflies in the field, like the stars themselves descended from the sky for a brief moment._

Van didn’t reply to Sora’s question, but judging from Sora’s soft smile, he knows they both know the answer to that question. Still, he glared at Sora at his obvious attempt to fish for something ‘fun’ from him, and the other boy merely laughed at him, darting in front of him to lead more of the way.

~

_QUEST: Explore and look for residents. Defeat the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_89 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_30% MAP CLEARED_

~

They reached the edge of the forest, and what awaited them had them both gobsmacked.

“What the-?” Sora gasped.

In front of them was a tall wall made of thick vines and thorns, each thorn bigger than that of small child, intertwined to form a solid and impenetrable defense from what lay beyond it. It was an impressive wall, stretching for meters and meters high, twice taller than the tallest tree nearby. It was imposing and exuded power, and Vanitas could feel the heavy traces of the influence of both light _and_ dark magic woven into the wall.

It was intriguing, to say the least.

“What the hell is this wall supposed to accomplish?” Van asked absently.

“To keep out majority of those dark creatures you called Heartless from the woods earlier,” a distant voice replied.

Without prompting, Vanitas summoned his Keyblade, ready to fight the intruder. Sora merely turned about himself, trying to find the location of the voice. He’d let Van throw his bit of aggressiveness around; like Halcyon, he’d prefer less violence when he could help it.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Sora called out.

From a nearby tree, a caw could be heard, and without delay a large, black bird – a crow- flapped over to the ground a few feet away from them, before the crow started shifting and jerking into sharp movements, distorting and changing shape before their eyes.

In a few seconds, a well-dressed man in black vestments greeted them, dark eyes and slicked-back dark hair giving him a debonair look. He smirked at them, and Van couldn’t tell if he liked the guy or wanted to pluck all of his feathers in the most painful way possible.

“Who are you?” Sora asked.

“The name’s Diaval,” the man introduced himself, “I am under the service of the Mistress of this world, and the one who goes around the place as surveillance.”

“I’m Sora, and this is Vanitas,” Sora introduced them. He gestured for Van to put his Keyblade away, to which Van rolled his eyes at but did anyways. “Could you tell us where we are, and what this wall is about?”

“This world is called The Moors, and this wall was created by the Mistress of The Moors to keep those creatures you called Heartless out of her kingdom,” Diaval explained. “More of them had been appearing recently, so the Mistress has resorted to this in order to protect us.”

“You’ve been following us,” Van called him out.

“Since you entered the forest, yes,” Diaval replied, “it’s been a very long time since this world’s had visitors from the outside. This wall acts as the world’s gates too, after all, and it doesn’t let much from the outside in.”

“Sounds like your Mistress is pretty powerful, being able to use both light and dark magic to create such a wall,” Van looked at the man pointedly. Diaval merely shrugged.

“Honestly? I don’t know much about magic, except she used it to turn an ordinary crow like me to be her pet human, but hey, if you want, you can ask her yourself about it,” the man offered.

“Really? An audience with the Mistress who did this? Sounds neat!” Sora looked at Van for his input. “We should go meet her!”

Sora wasn’t really asking, Van knows, but he still gave him a sort of reply to appease his excitable demeanour. Seriously, it’s like it doesn’t take much to excite Sora – it’s ridiculous. Conversely, Sora seemed to trust the man in black so easily. What if it was a trap?

 _Honestly_ , Van thought, _and here I thought twinsie here’s learned a little more self-preservation. The fucking idiot better be ready if this goes south. Ah well, as long as I’m here, I might as well pull Sora’s ass out of trouble as long as it’s not too bothersome to do._

“Fine, we’ll see this Mistress,” Van turned to look at Diaval, “lead the way.”

 

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

**THE MOORS**

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

~

_QUEST: Follow Diaval as he guides you to the Mistress’ court._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_145 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_39% The Moors MAP CLEARED_

_Continue >Save_

~

As they drew nearer to the court of The Moors, Sora could feel his surroundings become more alive. The plants became more colourful, the sky became bluer, and the company that approached them –

 _Wow_ , Sora thought, _this is awesome!_

Unlike Clawtooth Mountain, The Moors boasted a plethora of inhabitants that roamed freely. Each tree and rock and plant had a denizen perching or resting upon it, the forest teeming with life seemingly congesting around their arrival.

The woods came alive with its denizens freely approaching them, some of them cautious, but most of them curious enough to come close. Creatures big and small, tall and stout, crawling and flying about drew close to look at the world’s new visitors, perhaps wondering what they could offer if they’re being led closer to the kingdoms inner areas. At some point, Sora even summoned Meow Wow to show off and entertain the world’s denizens, and he didn’t miss Gaudium appearing unprompted from behind Vanitas to flit between the more hesitant creatures, prompting them to come closer and play.

In front of him, he caught Diaval looking back and smiling at them, obviously pleased at how everyone immediately opened up to him. Even Van garnered as much attention as him, his cool and aloof detachment from them and obvious affinity with darkness not deterring anyone from approaching him anyway.

Reaching the deepest part of the forest, Sora saw the woods opening up to a majestic clearing: crashing waterfalls and a clear blue reservoir, and tall trees providing a border and cool shade for the Mistress’ audience. The huge gathering area was bordered distantly by high cliffs and rocks, giving the place the air of a hidden sanctuary. At the edge of the body of water sat a huge throne made of wood and flowers, impressive yet welcoming, while exuding clear power. Tall sentient tree-like guards stood sentry by the throne, their mystic eyes cautiously taking the new arrivals.

Sora smiled and waved at them. One of the shorter guards returned his wave, only to have his hand slapped away by the older guard beside him in a chastising manner. Sora couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the display.

Sitting on the thrown was a tall, regal looking woman dressed in impeccable earth tones, her horns protruding from her straight hair, and majestic wings trailing behind her. Her eyes watched them draw closer, her gaze never wavering as she looked from Diaval, to Vanitas, and finally, to Sora.

For some reason, Sora felt like he’s met her before. Perhaps he has, and he’s yet to recover his memory of her? Sora mulled it over in his head.

Diaval stopped a respectful distance from the Mistress and dropped to genuflect. Sora and Van stopped behind him, eyes looking towards the world’s ruler.

“Mistress,” Diaval trilled, “I’ve come with some guests who’ve aided in exterminating the hostile dark creatures plaguing our forests. May I present to you, Sora and Vanitas.”

“I see. Very well,” the Mistress hummed.

"Sora, Vanitas. As the Mistress of this kingdom, I humbly welcome you to The Moors, and hope that your arrival and eventual stay brings good tidings. As you have aided in our long-standing problem with the Heartless, I would like to continue to talk with you both in private. Please, if you would follow me," She rose from her seat as she said this, striding forwards and making her way to a narrow path that lead downstream.

Diaval glanced to Sora and Vanitas, before sighing and shrugging his shoulders, flicking his head towards the Mistress, all regal and poised walking ahead, not once looking back.

“Best get to it then. If I was any wiser, I’d say it’s like she expected your arrival,” Diaval said.

Sora looked over to Vanitas, who was wearing a look of curiosity of his own, and the two of them made to follow the Mistress to where she’d wanted to talk.

~

“We have met before, I think, though not in this form.”

The Mistress had led them to another clearing following downstream of the river, where she motioned for them to sit on a rock formation she arranged for comfortable seating with a flick of her hand. Sora stared at the impressive show of power, of how casual she did it, and how it came so natural to her.

Sora turned to stare at her after sitting down, Van sitting a foot beside him.

“We have? Uh, I’m sorry I guess, since I don’t have much of my memory with me. It’s sort of a long story,” Sora half-explained.

“That’s quite alright,” the Mistress smiled, "though it does make starting this conversation much easier on my part, without your prejudice. I am the Mistress of The Moors, fairy queen and ruler of the mystics and wonders of this realm. My name is Maleficent.”

 _Maleficent_ , Sora echoed in his head, _that name sounds so familiar..._

Beside him, Vanitas threw her a surprised look. “ _You’re Maleficent?_ You’re shitting me!”

Maleficent merely raised a pointed brow at him. “I assure you I’m not joking. Though I suspect you don’t believe me, if you had already met my Shadow.”

“Your shadow?” Sora asked.

“Once upon a time, a fairy girl fell in love with a human boy. They loved each other very much, but the two of them were torn between their responsibilities and desires. The fairy girl grew more powerful to one day succeed in ruling her kingdom, and the boy greedily wanted to be king of his world. They both grew up, one a powerful woman and the other a greedy man. They loved each other – one would like to believe – but some things cannot be fixed by love, only weakened. One night, after they professed their love to each other, the man drugged the fairy, and as she slept, he cut off the fairy’s wings to present to his dying king as proof of his worth to succeed his throne.

“The fairy woman, having her wings cut off, was thrown into a deep grief and rage, swearing to get revenge on the man who scorned her. She dabbled in the areas of magic she hadn’t dared before, and before long, had her chance to exact her revenge.

"She cut off all the goodness in her heart - love, generosity, empathy, hope - and cast it aside to become the truly evil fairy that commanded the darkness. She sought power and revenge for the great transgression that befell her, and she had succeeded, allowing large parts of Enchanted Dominion to descend to darkness. She became the great shadow of the worlds, the infamous evil fairy of darkness."

“The shadow that sought Kingdom Hearts and ultimate power,” Sora muttered, a distant memory coming to him unbidden. “ _That_ Maleficent.”

“Yes. I believe that would be the version of me you’ve met,” Maleficent confirmed. “I still retain some vague semblance of connection to her, hence how I’ve come to know of you, Sora.”

"Okay, great, so what the hell does that make you then?" Vanitas asked.

"Van, don't be rude!" Sora hissed at him.

Maleficent simply smiled as she folded her hands on her lap. "As parts of Enchanted Dominion fell to the darkness, the "me" who was cast aside by the evil Maleficent had latched onto it, and with all my power, I spread my magic, called upon Light, and distorted the world to save it. The crumbling world heeded my call, and in order to preserve itself and me, it entered into a deep slumber.”

Sora’s eyes rounded in surprise. “That sounds so familiar. Why...”

“Like me and Ventus,” Van said in a quiet voice, “Maleficent splintered herself between “Light” and “Darkness”, and the “Light” took refuge in the crumbling pieces of Dominion, like Ven did with Sora. And then like Ven, the “Light” and this world went to sleep.” Sora looked in surprise at Van’s input.

He’s heard of Ventus numerous times before at Scala, his connection with the boy explained by Vanitas himself even. However, part of Sora still wonders how close he and Ventus really are, if they really had the opportunity to know each other as friends.

"Furthermore, that's why there's Heartless around," Vanitas murmured, "because this world descended to darkness, and was sustained by an external point of Light. Because of that, this world's unique "Sleeping" status prevented the world from being further corrupted."

"That is correct," Maleficent smiled at Vanitas. "This world cannot be _"restored to the light"_ or _"woken up"_ simply because I am here, as I fulfil the role of this world's "saving light". In the simplest of terms, I am the lynch pin that keeps this world together. So long as I exist, this world would never truly awaken."

"How poetic," Vanitas drawled, "your very own take on the infamous sleeping curse."

The Mistress gave them a sad smile. “I apologize for whatever grief she’s given you. I wish I could do more to contain her, but I cannot chase after her to subdue her, since I have to stay here as this world’s Authority.”

“That’s alright,” Sora smiled, “we’ve managed. And she’s doing well for herself, er... all things considered.”

Maleficent huffed in amusement. “You need not try to spare my feelings. It’s a complicated relationship I have – or don’t have – with my darkness. You on the other hand, at least have achieved that balance, however strange that is.” She replied, pointedly looking at Vanitas.

“What?” Vanitas asked defensively.

“Are you his Shadow?” Maleficent asked, “You are not a Heartless, or a Nobody, yet you possess a free will and form, and if I’m not mistaken, a heart as well. Or rather, it is more apt to say that _you_ are a heart given form and will, indulging in the darker arts. Much like the Maleficent you may know.”

“If I’m a Shadow, then I’m not Sora’s,” Vanitas replied, “I’m somebody else’s, though it is arguable that I could be Sora’s, since I took his appearance with how much my other half is so close to Sora.”

“I see,” Maleficent hummed. “And how do you define your relationship with each other, if I may ask?”

“We’re friends” Sora answered at the same Van replied with “We tolerate each other.” They glanced at each other, Sora frowning and Van looking affronted, before Sora sighed and replied with “We’re a work in progress” in a contrite tone.

Maleficent’s lips tipped into a full smile. “Oh? How curious. I had thought you were closer, with how comfortable you seem to fill each other’s spaces.”

“He’s light and I’m darkness,” Vanitas drawled, “it’s a fucking balance; I hate it, but we keep it. This fucker over here decided to keep me anyways, so I guess I’m not complaining if that means I get to keep it good for me.”

“Van! Language!” Sora hissed.

“Enough about me and Sora, tell me about the wall,” Vanitas ploughed on, “I can sense both Light and Darkness in it. You use both. How is it that a fairy queen _of the Light_ like you uses the dark arts?”

“Magic is magic,” Maleficent replied simply. “It matters not if I use the Light or the Darkness – how I choose to wield my power is all that matters. There are some things only the Light can do, as there are things that only the Darkness can do. I use both in equal and appropriate measure – a balance as you have called it. Assuming that Light is good and Darkness is evil is an old, outdated and rigid belief – both exist for a reason, so they must be used in unison. Ultimately, what we do with our power is what determines goodness and evil. With that said, of course I use both, if that is what it takes to protect my subjects.”

“ _What we do with our power is what determines goodness and evil_ ,” Sora repeated, “that’s pretty solid advice, your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Sora,” the Mistress smiled at him, “I have a feeling you already know this, since you’re so close with Vanitas.”

“Close is a stretch,” Van rolled his eyes, “we’re reluctant allies at best.”

“Thy man doth protest too much methinks,” Maleficent said drily. “Call yourself each other what you will, but to thine own self be true; the heart cannot lie.”

Sora startled at Maleficent's words, so similar with his da - Halcyon's parting words. He can't help but think that it's a recurring theme, about being true to yourself.

"Let our hearts be our guiding key," Sora said, and Maleficent smiled graciously at him, pleased that he knew of the phrase and what it entailed.

~

“So I was thinking...” Sora began.

“A dangerous thing for you to do. Careful there,” Van sneered at him. Sora ignored him.

“Since we’re here and you’re having trouble with the Heartless, I was thinking maybe we’d offer our help, your Majesty? Me and Van could use the additional training too,” Sora ventured.

“Seriously? You’re pimping us out again?” Van muttered in a low voice only Sora could hear. Again, he ignored the complaints of the dark-haired boy beside him.

“Yes,” Maleficent agreed, and it was a testament to her struggle to protect her kingdom that she looked visibly relieved at the offer extended to her, “I would very much like that. There are quite a few areas that the Heartless spawn from. I’ve taken care of a few Voids that have popped up, but many more take its place that I simply cannot destroy them all fast enough.”

“Then all the more for us to help! C’mon Van, let’s get to it!”

“Do I even have a choice in the matter?”

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless and exterminate the Voids._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Mistress Maleficent, Diaval_

_234 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_1 HEARTLESS BOSS DEFEATED_

_50% The Moors MAP CLEARED_

_LEARNED Air Combo Plus!_

_LEARNED Blizzard!_

_LEARNED Aero!_

_LEARNED Plant!_

_LEARNED Winter’s Chill (Maleficent)!_

_LEARNED Summer Scorch (Maleficent)!_

_LEARNED Thunderous Rage (Maleficent)!_

_LEARNED Murder of Crows (Diaval)!_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

They stayed for more than a week.

In the days that followed since Sora (and begrudgingly, Van as well) offered their aid to Maleficent, the two of them, plus the Mistress and Diaval, went around the world destroying Voids and exterminating the Heartless, freeing hearts and gathering Lux in an efficient manner.

They had taken care of huge Heartlesses that have spawned after a certain number of Heartless were defeated and Voids neutralized, and even defeated an enormous Heartless that Maleficent said was from the former king of the human side of The Moors.

In between battles, Maleficent taught Sora some magic as well, like _Blizzard_ and _Aero_ , and a unique magic spell called _Plant_ , which slowed down or completely immobilized multiple opponents by wrapping them in thorny vines that absorbed their opponents energy, and converted it to mana that increased Sora’s Keyblade’s attack power. Sora recognized it as one of the spells Halcyon had used before, controlling plants to his bidding for defense and subjugation.

Vanitas learned some curses from the Mistress as well, like _Petrify_ and _Animus_ , the last spell allowing the dark-haired boy to temporarily transform himself into a shadowy figure of an animal of his choosing to deal heavy damage to opponents.

The last spell came so naturally to Vanitas that even Maleficent was surprised. When she asked about it to him, he replied with a bland "I've done Possession magic before" which further probed Maleficent's curiosity.

"Possession magic? That's quite a high level spell, my dear. Who did you use it on, and why?"

Vanitas didn't realize it, but he gave her a strangely soft and vulnerable look for a very quick second, like caught in a particular memory, before turning his lips into a sneer, and replied "I heard it was _all the rage_ at some point. Tried to be trendy for a while."

For some reason, Van's answer poked at Sora, like it was an inside joke he was supposed to understand but didn't.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless and exterminate the Voids._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Mistress Maleficent, Diaval_

_234 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_2 HEARTLESS BOSS DEFEATED_

_63% The Moors MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

During moments of lull when both of them weren’t off facing Heartless or each other, Sora summoned Meow Wow to play with the woodland creatures, Gaudium following shortly. Sora didn’t question Van how Gaudium kept popping up during their downtime most of the time and rarely in battle, since he had a feeling Van would only goad him into another fight.

In the days that Sora was left to himself, he either played with the woodland creatures or sparred with Vanitas, and on some nights even went for a dip in the cool waters of the lake. He’d recall memories that come to him unbidden; the waters reminding him of Atlantica, the Carribean, and Destiny Islands, and the bright starlit sky gifting him snippets of memories of Beast’s Castle, San Fransokyo, and The Grid. Slowly, Sora remembered names and faces, the pieces of his shattered memories trying to reform themselves in his head.

He remembered growing up with Kairi and Riku on the Islands, rescuing Naminé from the Organization at Castle Oblivion, and the rare memory of meeting Ven for the second time when he was six years old in Destati, the Chamber of his Heart.

It was strange, Sora thought, that the more he remembered, the more each memory felt like a far-off dream - like a strange story that couldn't have happened to him but did.

When he told Van about it one night after a particularly tough spar, Van merely shrugged at him, saying he couldn’t relate.

“I don’t have memories of some illustrious past I could call my own. What past I have is what I share with Ven and Xehanort all those years ago.”

“And me.” Sora added.

Vanitas looked at him curiously, neither smirking nor glaring. “Nah. You’re not in my past. Not in that way. You’re here now, though, for whatever that’s fucking worth.”

“Your present and your future, huh,” Sora told himself softly. He didn’t miss the unexpectedly soft look on Van’s face when he said it, but he didn’t mention it, deciding he didn’t want to ruin the moment. It was a good look on him, Sora thought, knowing Van could smile like that as well.

It's moments like these he wishes he still had his Gummiphone, if only to preserve these rare moments they were together. But since he doesn't, Sora settled with just fondly looking, trying to memorize the softness Vanitas that possessed and tried so hard to hide.

It's a pleasant memory to keep.

~

It's a strange sight, Sora realized, that some of the bigger Heartless that reside in the forest aren't actually violent, but rather cooperative even. They even manage to communicate with the forest sentinels, like they were friends.

For some reason, Vanitas stayed away from these strangely docile Heartless.

"They're fucking confusing," Van replied, when Sora asked him about it, "they're definitely Heartless, but for some reason, the hearts they've consumed aren't corrupted. It's like the Heartless made the hearts their own. And they're behaving differently from your typical Heartless, all tame and shit. I don't understand it."

On the other hand, Maleficent seemed to not mind them at all.

"Oh, those?" Maleficent intoned, when Sora asked her, "the docile ones are quite fine. They seem to be attached to this world, and are much companionable with this world's denizens. Diaval did mention it, did he not? That you are only to exterminate the _hostile_ dark creatures."

"Then what does that mean for them? The tame Heartless?" Sora asked.

"Why, the same as it does for everyone else trying to live peacefully in this world," Maleficent smiled, "we make peace with them as well."

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless and exterminate the Voids._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Mistress Maleficent, Diaval_

_388 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_4 HEARTLESS BOSS DEFEATED_

_71% The Moors MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Sora often took dips by the watering hole, hiking his pants up and letting the cool waters reach just below his knees. It reminded him of the Islands, and the numerous memories he's recovered with Kairi and Riku, the three of them playing by the beach in their younger years. It’s a memory he likes revisiting during his down time, if only it filled him with a feeling of home.

 

 

Sometimes he even goes to watering hole to take a dip and close his eyes, imagining himself back at the beach with them, joined by Donald, Goofy, and King Mickey, and eventually, even Roxas and Ventus.

Vanitas too, he dares to think, picturing him smiling in the beach's sunset.

Van joins him in the watering hole sometimes, during lazy evenings, where all they do is talk about where they went and what they did that day as they lounged by the rocks. They'd watch the fairies and nymphs dance on water and in the air, each evening a wonderful light show that Sora never got tired of.

Sora thought of the empty space for a third person beside him and Vanitas, and how he missed Halcyon. Sometimes he'd look over his shoulder with a smile and a joke, and he'd be met with empty air. He still hears Halcyon's low laughter in his ears, his warm phantom presence when he and Van turn in for the night, and he still sees the older man at the corner of his eye, like a constant guardian armed with advice and encouragement.

He's had older figures in his life to guide him - like Yen Sid and Leon, and the rest of the guys from the Hallow Bastion Restoration Committee (yeah, Sora’s remembered them by that point), but no one felt like the way Halcyon would look softly at him and know when to say the things he needed to hear. No one had sat him for dinner, cooked for him, and allowed him and Vanitas free reign to fight and spar, only interjecting with helpful tricks when he could, like the way the older man did. Halcyon was far from the first person who’s allowed him to feel like he could grow stronger, but he is one of the only people he knows who has made him feel that it’s okay to embrace his weaknesses, as long as you get back up.

Riku, Kairi, the King, and Donald and Goofy make him feel that it’s okay to celebrate his strengths and weaknesses, but none of them felt fatherly the way Halcyon did.

He’s told Van as much on one of their slow evenings. Sora even expected Van to make fun of him for it, for being so emotional about Halcyon, but he was surprised when Van only chuckled softly, his voice low and unrestrained.

“Yeah. I bet the fucker didn’t expect that from himself either. Well, neither did we, I guess.”

Sora thinks he wants to give Vanitas more family, and so he promised himself that when they get back to the Waking World, he’d drag Vanitas back home with him, and they could all be together with everyone and be happy.

The thought fills him with warmth, and he silently promises to himself he’d make it come true.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless and exterminate the Voids._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Mistress Maleficent, Diaval_

_539 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_6 HEARTLESS BOSSES DEFEATED_

_King Stefan HEARTLESS BOSS DEFEATED_

_85% The Moors MAP CLEARED_

_Continue >Save_

~

“You seem more quiet lately, Sora. Have you grown bored of this world already?” Maleficent asked him in a teasing tone, when it was just the two of them. Sora had his feet dipped by the water’s edge, letting the cool waters soothe his tired feet. He flustered for a moment, trying to appease her.

“No! Everyday’s always an adventure! I just...have a lot on my mind,” Sora answered, trailing at the end of his sentence.

“Your returning memories, I assume?” the Mistress asked.

“Yeah.” Sora nodded.

“Dreaming often does that, even the most deeply buried memories come to surface. Staying here in this particular world certainly helps; this world “slumbers” far deeper than the others in this realm.” Maleficent told him, her face composed with a slight smile on her lips.

“What do you mean by that?” Sora asked. Maleficent gave him a scrutinizing look, to which Sora returned with a confused one. After a beat, the Mistress sighed, clearly not finding anything in Sora she was looking for.

"You really don't know, do you?" Maleficent asked.

"Don't know what?" Sora's brow furrowed.

"Where you truly are, and what that means for you and Vanitas."

Sora's gaze hardened. "Then do you mind explaining it to me, Mistress?" Maleficent regarded his face for a moment before striding closer to him. She sat herself down beside Sora at a respectable distance, looked out into the water before beginning her explanation. She cast her magic in front of them, and formed a sphere like shape floating before them, and then spoke.

“Let’s start with what you know,” Maleficent began.

“I know we’re travelling across Sleeping Worlds,” Sora spoke, “our mentor, Halcyon, didn’t really elaborate, but I do know about Sleeping Worlds and the Realm of Sleep. I’ve been here before, though I don’t remember everything about it - just enough to know the basics. Halcyon didn’t really say it outright, but he said that we’re in Sleeping Worlds “in a way”, and then he gave me some confusing explanation I didn’t really understand.”

~

_“Sleeping Worlds?”_

_“Basically, when a world has fallen to darkness and has not fully revived to the Realm of Light, they are called Sleeping Worlds. They’re unique, as they are unaffected by time and untainted by darkness. Reaching them isn’t easy, and it takes great risk and skill to reach them._

_“Sleeping Worlds are like “dream worlds”, often depicting the state of the worlds before they were consumed. This is why they are unaffected by time – they are trapped in a loop, an almost never-ending dream of what once was, and even those not within the world when it was consumed in darkness are recreated in them, simply because that is how the Sleeping World remembers them.”_

_“...Are...are we in a Sleeping World, Halcyon?” Sora asked quietly, looking straight at him._

_"...In a way, yeah."_

_“What do you mean?” Vanitas asked._

_“Long ago, a Foreteller was tasked to safeguard the future of the Light. And so in her efforts to do so, she had sent her Dandelions to a far-off world – the land that is neither here nor there, but from where the worlds spring forth – an impossible yet persisting timeline, alongside the one it has meant to part from,” Halcyon replied, almost in a trance._

_“What...does that mean? Who are you talking about?” Sora asked._

_Halcyon shook his head. “You’ll get your answers some day. But you won’t get them from me; you should get the answers somewhere for yourself.”_

~

Maleficent regarded him once more with an appraising gaze, before she launched on her own explanation.

“The wall of thorns that kept the Heartless out was not just some impressive trick I cast; it was also the result of me separating this world from the original one in order to preserve this world’s stability. In order to do that, I had to severe all connection with the Waking Realm."

Before them, Maleficent conjured an illusory projection of a typical world. She then separated the sphere of magic into two; one in a swirling smoke of green, and the other a glittering sphere of gold.

"In the most basic of terms, The Moors is “another version” of the world known as the Enchanted Dominion. The one in the waking Realm has the evil Maleficent, and this world has her "light" side, me. It's much different in the terrain as well; as Dominion possessed gilded castles and shining turrets, The Moors was more expansive forests and glittering springs."

Maleficent banished the glowing spheres before her and conjured two figures instead: one with horns glowing green, and the other with huge wings glowing gold.

"Because of my unique circumstances, I cannot interfere with the Waking Realm as I please. This “Sleeping World” has, at the very least, restored me of my lost wings, and has granted me use of extensive magic abilities to better protect this world. Thus, the wall of thorns you see. I would imagine my Shadow has done the same to the one in the Waking Realm, using her dark influence to shape Enchanted Dominion to her liking.”

Maleficent dismissed her magic figures and placed her hands back on her lap.

“You wouldn’t be wrong,” Sora replied.

There's a moment of silence that followed, with Sora trying to understand everything he's been told. Which, now that he thinks about, doesn't really give him much of an answer regarding his present circumstances.

"So...?"

Maleficent chuckled, amused at Sora's confusion and realization that she hasn't answered any of his questions. "I saved a fragmented world at the expense of sacrificing all that was left in me to the Light. The same applies to you Sora. You were sent here, to this strange sector of the Realm of Sleep, as a price for an action you took. This action must've been an act of heroism or selflessness to protect or save someone or something, for you to have wound up here."

"An act of heroism and selflessness, huh?" Sora sighed.

Maleficent continued. "This area of the Realm of Sleep and the worlds that reside in it are a curious case - they aren't like the others, absent of Heartless. We are worlds that reside in the Darkness, but revel in the Light, yet also choosing to accept both in equal measure."

"Then what difference do they have from the regular Sleeping Worlds then?" Sora asked.

Maleficent opened her mouth to answer, but stopped before she begun, her eyes wandering to an area behind Sora. He followed her eyes and turned around, spotting Vanitas a distance away from them. From the looks of it, he hasn't found them yet, but his attention is held elsewhere anyways, as the black-haired boy is trailed by Gaudium and numerous creatures from The Moors, making merry sounds as he scowled at the parade of noise following him.

Sora wanted to laugh at the sight; he could almost feel just _teensy tiny_ bit of joy emanating from his darker twin. He suspected that's what Gaudium was, but it's too hard to say yet, and even harder to tell Vanitas that. Van's so averse to the idea of having _positive_ emotions.

He finds himself wanting Vanitas to discover it for himself, the positive emotions he could feel that aren't just offset emotions from Sora - all the joy and happiness a person could have, if only Vanitas would allow himself to have it.

"It's the people in it, I suppose."

Sora turned back to look at Maleficent, who was wearing a fond expression at the sight. Sora heard the creatures cheer in good nature, Gaudium's chirping noises echoing in the woods in unison, and Sora didn't even have to look at them to know that Vanitas was  probably wearing his "I-cannot-stand-this-stupidity" face.

"The people?" Sora repeated.

"It's strange, don't you think, how people either wholly embrace the Light and denounce Darkness, or let Darkness consume them and corrupt the Light inside them. There's always this extremity to it – the idea that you can only choose one of the two. You will find in your journey, Sora, that there are very few people who can embrace the darkness without losing their light, who realize that the Darkness deserves as much love as its counterpart does.

“Like us, who have chosen differently and live in a time that varies greatly from what you have been taught to believe.”

Maleficent gave Sora a private smile - the kind that held secrets that would answer all of Sora's questions now but wouldn't help him in the long run. "It was inevitable you'd find yourself here - you whose heart could never be limited in loving people as they are."

Sora dropped his gaze to his hands on his lap.

“Is it bad for me to choose both? Is it bad for someone who is perceived to be “good” to accept the “bad” around him?”

Maleficent placed her hand over Sora’s, giving him a soft look.

“No. It does not make you bad. It just makes you human.”

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas, Mistress Maleficent, Diaval_

_627 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_92% The Moors MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

"You know, I...haven't actually remembered how I died." Sora told Maleficent a few days later, after the Mistress visits him by the watering hole at dusk hour.

"Then you will soon enough," Maleficent said graciously, "at least until before you truly Wake Up and return to the Waking Worlds. Though I say that the circumstances that you've been through to land you here were of noble causes, I suppose it makes sense for you to be averse of that particular memory."

"Not really," Sora shrugged, his nonchalant answer mildly surprising Maleficent, "if I managed to save someone, I think I would have arrived at the conclusion that I was okay with it. Or at least, I'd like to think I was the kind of person who had been okay with such a brave choice."

Sora meant it when he said it. He doesn’t know who he did it for, why he did it, and how, but the idea of being able to save this one person he considered to be worth the sacrifice makes him believe that he couldn’t have made the wrong choice. Even without his full memory, if he was given the choice to save someone he loves as long as it was in his power, he’s sure he wouldn’t have chosen any differently.

If that makes him weak or strong, Sora doesn’t know. What he does know is that he made a choice he doesn’t regret.

"The fact alone that you choose to face your fears head on is proof of your valor, young man," the Mistress smiled widely, "though my power may be weak outside this realm, I shall grant you aid when you ask of it. You only need call, and I shall answer."

"Thanks, Mistress Maleficent!" Sora beamed.

~

_ACQUIRED ????? Summon Charms_

~

It was on a quiet afternoon when Vanitas sauntered up to Maleficent lounging on her throne addressing some of her subjects and told her that they were done. Sora came bundling after him.

"Yo, Mistress. Your Highness. Your Royal Horniness and Wingship. Whatever. Anyways, yeah, we're about done here."

"Done?" Maleficent arched an eyebrow at him, though she didn't seem the slightest offended at Van's crude manner in addressing her. "Whatever do you mean, young man?"

"The Heartless," Vanitas clarified, "you know as much as I do that we can't completely rid any world of the darkness - waking or asleep. We have, however, thinned the herd; what started out as a Heartless-infested world is now reduced to an easily manageable one. Plus, the tame Heartlesses aren’t causing any trouble, so that’s that. The voids won't show up as big or as frequently now, so you and your little birdie can take care of that easy."

"What Van meant to say," Sora interjected, "is that The Moors are safe now. Even your forest sentinels can take care of the Heartless now, easy!"

"I see," Maleficent smiled, "and I take it that with your task done, you mean to leave for the next world as soon as possible?"

"Yes, Mistress," Sora replied. Van just nodded, still looking bored.

"Very well," Maleficent smiled beatifically, "as a gesture of gratitude, tonight we shall feast and celebrate your triumph the hostile forces that has threatened our peace. There is much fanfare to be had still.”

“Fanfare?” Sora asked excitedly.

“Oh yes,” Van’s eyes narrowed at Maleficent’s shrewd smile and Diaval’s amused smirk, “I believe this tonight’s celebration would be something you two would _not_ want to miss.”

~

_QUEST: Emerge victorious in the The Moors Battle Tournament_

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_Diaval Dragon Forme DEFEATED_

_Maleficent Darkness Battle Forme DEFEATED_

_Battle Tournament CLEARED and CHAMPIONED_

_UNLOCKED Vanitas COMBAT COMBO SKILLSET!_

_LEARNED Fury of Light and Darkness!_

_LEARNED Trace of Chiaroscuro!_

_LEARNED Howls of Dusk and Dawn!_

_Continue >Save_

~

The morning after the festivities, Sora woke up early with the sunrise.

The world was very much still asleep, no doubt exhausted from last night’s celebrations. To be honest, even Sora felt himself to still be a bit tired, though his spirit was wide awake, already carrying his body to rise and walk around. He spotted Van snoozing a distance away from him, using a broad leaf from a big plant as a blanket as he hugged the Tournament Champion trophy. The sight made Sora feel warm, seeing Van indulge acting so young like that. He casted a weak _Plant_ spell and brought the nearby plant leaves to cover Van from the early sunlight; he could let his look-alike sleep in a little for today.

He found himself by the gathering area, a distance away from Maleficent’s throne. He was dressed down this early, his pants hiked up to his knees as he waded in the cool waters. He absently played with a Gate Charm in his hand, his head swirling with thoughts and memories he’s recovered thus far.

The sound of rustling wings interrupted his solitary musings, and turning around to face the source of someone landing nearby, he is met with the sight of Maleficent and Diaval, perched on a rock outcropping a few feet away from him.

“Mistress Maleficent. Diaval. Good morning!” Sora greeted them.

“Good morning to you as well, Sora,” Maleficent returned. “Early start?”

Sora chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Ah, well. Just got some things on my mind.”

“I noticed,” Maleficent strode over to where Sora was, Diaval in tow. “You were distracted these past few days. I assume you have recovered a few key memories.”

“More like a lot,” Sora confessed, “I’m pretty sure I remember a lot about how I started my journey. I remember Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, and Riku and the King closing the Door to the Realm of Darkness as well as the events leading to that, but not much else beyond that. There’s scattered memories I feel aren’t my own, and then there’s a few memories from later events that don’t make sense...”

Diaval frowned at him. “Sounds terrible. You handling it alright?”

“As much as I could, I guess,” Sora murmured. “I never thought I’d say this, but I think it would’ve been better if I didn’t remember so much, or at least, not remember so much so soon.”

“But it’s shed a bit of light on a few of your questions, correct? Where you came from, how you started, and where you were headed to,” Maleficent inquired.

“It did, but it also left me feeling incomplete. It’s a little frustrating I guess, knowing that there’s more to remember,” Sora replied.

“But...?” Maleficent prompted.

“But I’m also optimistic about it. I mean, my first journey wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and at one point I even turned into a Heartless – though a tame one, like the ones here – but it’s helped me remember a lot of important feelings and bonds that explain why I am the person that I was. Donald and Goofy really hung in there for me huh...”

There was a beat of silence that followed, with Maleficent breaking it first. She walked closer to where Sora was, now standing beside him, her feet submerged in the water. Diaval remained at a distance, though close enough to be included in the conversation.

“You asked me before, what difference these Sleeping Worlds you’re to travel in are from the other Sleeping Worlds,” the Mistress began, “and I gave you a vague answer, as I recall, but one that provided context, though limited.”

Sora nodded.

“The truth is, I am not sure of the answer myself. These worlds are essentially the same as the worlds in the Waking Realm, both subject to the Light and Darkness, and outside influences like the Dandelions. The mystery lies in the fact that the world is called “ _asleep”_ , simply because the worlds are in a separate dimension and “timeline” from the Worlds you are from, much like the Sleeping Worlds.”

“Wait,” Sora interrupted, “you knew about the Dandelions?”

Maleficent turned to him, a brow arched at him. “Why yes, Sora, of course. I assumed you and Vanitas were Dandelions as well, and that there was no need for tedious conversations upon the topic.”

“But why didn’t you even mention to us that you knew about the Dandelions, or hint about it? You saw us use the Keyblade, it would have been an easy topic to ask about,” Sora looked at her seriously.

“As was the ordinary fare for Dandelions, as I’ve been told, one such Dandelion was once assigned to this world as well, though she has long since been missing. I assume she has been reassigned to another world, or in the most unfortunate case, met her untimely end. As curious as our common acquaintance with the evil Maleficent, I thought you came here as the former Dandelion’s replacement, though late your arrival came.”

“What was her name?” Sora asked. “Maybe we could find her! We’re part of the Dandelions too – me and Van! Maybe we could ask around and find out what happened to her.”

“Thank you Sora,” Maleficent smiled. “Her name was Strelitzia.”

“Strelitzia,” Sora repeated. “...Huh. Okay. I’ll ask around.”

“Going back to the topic at hand,” Maleficent continued, “it would be more apt to say that you are travelling along fractured worlds – worlds whose continuity within the Waking Realm and Realm of Sleep have been discontinued and separated from it. The Moors is a clear example of it – like I said, “a different timeline” that has chosen differently how we live.”

“But...wouldn’t that mean the worlds in here wouldn’t...”

“Wouldn’t wake up, or join the Waking Realm. We are a unique collection of Singularities of “events that never happened” or “could have happened but didn’t” prior to Light overwriting reality.”

Sora couldn’t speak – this was quickly becoming too much to understand.

“Honestly Sora, I leave you for one goddamn second to discuss complicated topics with Mal and you’re already spiralling worse than Xehanort fantasizing about universal salvation. Fuck’s sake.”

Sora turned around to see Van walking towards them, hands in his pockets, wearing an expression of disapproval.

“You’re thinking about this too hard. We’re still in the Realm of Sleep, correct?”

“Er...” Sora delayed.

“Correct.” Maleficent answered primly.

“And we’re still travelling worlds with those Gate Charms Halcyon gave us to get back home, or wherever the hell it is you want to return to, right?”

“...Yes.” Sora answered more confidently.

“So what’s it matter where the hell we are then? All that matters is that we know where we’re heading, and that we have the means to get there. Why are you overthinking this you dumbfuck? We’ve already established you’re not smart enough to figure out this complicated bullshit, so let’s just stick to what we’re good at, yeah?”

“Right!” Sora laughed. Of course it was that simple – they had a goal, and that was to go home. So they’re training and gathering Lux for the Dandelions along the way, and recovering Sora’s lost memories in the process – so what? Regardless of where they are, nothing has changed: they are still heading home, and they’ve yet to acquire the answers to the most important questions they’ve got:

Why were Sora and Vanitas sent to this part of the Sleeping Realm, and who set them together?

“As for your fuckass memories, we can’t do jackshit about that. But you already knew that, so just deal with it, alright?”

“Right,” Sora drily, “you’re pretty snappish this morning. I’d imagine you’d be more cheery after winning last night.”

“Eh, the victory high’s run off. I’m bored again,” Van waved dismissively. Diaval threw him an exasperated look, no doubt still bitter about losing to them in the semi-final round in his dragon form. Maleficent was the last opponent, but despite “losing”, they both knew she was holding back and was only competing for sport. The Mistress in turn sent an amused look at Van’s words, more entertained than annoyed at the dark-haired boy’s crassness so early in the morning.

“With your assignments done and the festivities concluded, I would imagine this is where we would part ways,” Maleficent broached.

Sora nodded. “Yeah. I managed to pack up most of our things before the tournament last night, so me and Van are pretty much ready to go.”

“Huh. It feels as if you had only arrived yesterday. Time has really blown past us huh,” Diaval mused.

“Very well. I would not wish to keep you longer if you wish to go now. I only bid you be safe on your travels, and to continue looking out for each other.” Maleficent bowed her head to them with a sort of maternal fondness, and Sora couldn’t help but bow just the same.

“Take care as well, Mistress. And you too, Diaval!”

~

_UNLOCKED Mistress Maleficent Summon Charm!_

_UNLOCKED Diaval Dragon Forme Summon Charm!_

_> Continue_

~

Fully dressed in their clothes and with their bags on their shoulders, Sora and Van found themselves walking back to the same clearing they found themselves in when they first arrived in The Moors. Van had thought that Sora would summon the Keyhole in front of Maleficent back at the watering hole, but was mildly surprised that Sora lead them away into the forest instead.

He wanted to question Sora about it, but the strange look of concentration on in his face as he walked kept him from voicing his question, so he stuck to following him for the first few minutes of their wandering.

Several minutes later, they were at the very spot they arrived in.

“Sora.”

“Hmm?”

“What the fucking hell are you thinking about now?”

Sora turned to face his look-alike, as Van merely met his stare unflinchingly, refusing to let Sora wallow in whatever depressing thoughts he’s having.

“About what Maleficent said.”

“What about it?”

“She called this world a Singularity, right? She said that we were in a “different timeline”. And that there are others like it, too.”

“What about it?” Van raised an eyebrow at him.

Sora furrowed his brows in deep thought. “Does this mean we’re in a parallel universe or something?”

Van sighed. He’s pretty sure Xehanort has given him – and the other vessels – a lecture about this during his association with him in the previous war – the existence of worlds other outside the realm of logical possibility. He sort of regrets not paying much attention back then; they could use that particular brand of knowledge right about now. He does, however, remember the snippets of facts he could consider the basics.

“Okay halfwit, let me try to remember what the old man told us. So, there are two realms: the Waking Realm and the Realm of Sleep. You had experience travelling in both, as told by the fuckwits Lauriam and Elrena in Scala. However, in the Realm of Sleep, there apparently resides a strange area filled with uncertain worlds and dream worlds. Xehanort called them the Sector of Singularities – pretty much the same from what Maleficent told us. Anything beyond that, well, your fucking guesses will be as good as mine.”

“The Sector of Singularities?”

Van shrugged. “I don’t remember much since I didn’t listen too much of the old man’s prattling – I came to fight, not listen to a fucking science lecture. What I do remember is that this part of the Realm of Sleep was so much closer to being “dream worlds” or “conceptual worlds” that their existence isn’t necessarily connected to most worlds, or if any at all. They are “possible” worlds that didn’t become real, or were “removed” from the timeline we were on or something by whatever fucking powers that be. If we’re going by what Maleficent said, the Sector contains worlds that are in a “different timeline” or some bullshit like that.”

“So what does that mean?”

“It means, dipshit,” Van began, already tired of explaining the topic he felt beyond him, “that I don’t know shit either. We’re in the Realm of Sleep. We’re travelling to strange worlds that are apparently not real enough to belong anywhere concretely. And in travelling those worlds, we’re finding our way home. That’s it. Got it all fucking in your head?”

“I’m sure it couldn’t be that simple...”

“Sure it can be. Don’t fucking overthink this Sora.”

Sora breathed a long sigh. “It just...seems so complicated. Then I have all these confusing memories with me, and a bunch of loose memories that don’t make sense without the right context, and I don’t even know where to start, or know what to believe in.”

“Then believe in yourself. Or if that’s so impossible, then believe in me.”

Sora stared at Vanitas, who was giving him a steady gaze. His golden eyes bore into him, his face an expression of unshakeable resolve.

“Isn’t that what your optimistic ass is always trying to live by? Believing in other people?”

Sora couldn’t help but release the tension that was in shoulders, breathing out a lose laugh. Van was right of course, on several points. He shouldn’t overthink this, and he knows he could trust Van. He already does. So what’s it matter where in the universe they were? They had each other, and they were going home.

The rest are just details.

Sora nodded at Vanitas and flashed him a smile, confidence finally returning to him. “Right!” Van just rolled his eyes at him, looking irritated, but Sora knew Van wasn’t really irritated. He’d give him the opportunity to act edgy as he wanted to; Sora was used to it ayway.

"You’ve decided where we're heading next?" Van asked Sora.

"Yeah," the brunet replied, "I have a feeling this won't be a forest world either, if the charm is any indication."

Sora held up the small trinket for Van to see: a sort of pin with a logo depicting a stylized “i” on it and an oval around it, in a black, yellow, and orange color scheme. It was an ordinary looking item, giving no indication of what kind of world it was, except for the vague idea that it was one filled with humans considering the item’s nature.

"Great, I like it already," Vanitas smiled, all teeth and predatory, "it's been months of nothing but woods and trees, you better hope this next world isn't another romp in the wilderness." Sora kind of agreed with Van on that front – an actual change of scenery would be really good after all this time.

"I have a feeling one of the worlds we're meant to go is another forest, but that's for another time, I guess," Sora chuckled. "Here goes!"

Sora tossed the charm in the air, as it steady glowed and spun midair before them, before expanding into a huge keyhole above them, the force of the lanes between travelling between worlds whipping before them. Sora pointed his Keyblade at the keyhole to confirm their entry, and in a bright flash of light, both boys dissolved in the light, already on their way to the next world.

~

“Mistress.”

Maleficent turned to look at Diaval, who was wearing a curious expression.

“What?”

“When you said we’re among the worlds of a “different timeline”, that would imply that we are part of a timeline that’s separate from what you would call a “main timeline”, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“And then you said that The Moors were visited by Dandelions, which would imply that the Dandelions are _part_ of that different timeline...right?”

Maleficent smiled wanly. “Correct.”

Diaval stared at his Mistress. “But Mistress, if that’s right...and if going by what Sora has shared with us in his recovered memories, that would imply that the Dandelions only exist in this “fractured timeline” and not in the “main timeline”.”

Maleficent didn’t pause to look back at Diaval.

“There was once a prophecy in the stories of old,” Maleficent began, “that spoke of Light’s expiration and Darkness’s reign supreme. This was foretold a long time ago, you see, before The Moors fractured from the Enchanted Dominion. It was a story of great tragedy that ended in many casualties. In the end, by some miracle, Light has survived that great conflict, therefore telling us that the dark prophecy foretold never came to be, or has yet to be fulfilled.”

“Mistress?”

“But that was not true. One of Light’s greatest powers, you see, was the capability of rewinding and manipulating time – a much grander and all-encompassing version of the puny _Time_ spell we know.”

“What are you saying, Mistress?”

“My dear Diaval, is it not obvious yet?” Maleficent smiled. “The prophecy _did_ come to pass, but it also didn’t. At the very least, not in the “main timeline” as where Sora was from.”

There was a silence.

“Then what...” Diaval began.

“As a powerful being before my split, I am privy to such intimate details of other worlds and their nature,” Maleficent continued, “as I was saying, the prophecy did come to pass. But Light, in order to ensure its survival, rewound time and created a timeline where it _did_ survive, taking with it precious warriors that would carry on the Light’s legacy. This has resulted in two outcomes: a timeline where a brutal war happened, the symbol of Darkness’ victory, but Light survived somehow, and one where the war did _not_ happen, where Warriors of Light spared from the war thrived, ensuring Light’s survival.”

“So what you’re saying is that the “main timeline” still had the Darkness’ win in a way, but Light rewound time and rewrote it so that it would survive somehow, despite the casualties of war?”

Maleficent’s lips quirked upwards in amusement. “How amusing. You’re quick to catch on. I suspect Sora wouldn’t have been so sharp as to arrive at that succinct conclusion.”

“But if the Light survived here, in this realm, regardless of the war’s outcome” Diaval continued, his mind racing, “then what relation does the “fractured timeline” have with “main timeline”? How are they connected, if they weren’t supposed to be in the first place? If Light already survived in the main timeline, then why was the fractured timeline necessary in the first place?”

“Two simple reasons: Light overwrote reality itself to cement its survival, and is still connected to the irregular Singularities of the “fractured timelines” via the specific point in time where the two timelines branched away when Light meddled with Time. Because the war wiped out every last Warrior of Light, the main timeline could no longer summon Warriors – those who use the Keyblade.

“And that is the purpose of the “fractured timeline”. By some method, someone simply travelled from this timeline to the other, bringing with them a warrior of Light to bring a “trigger” to bring forth a new generation of Warriors of Light in the main timeline, where none survived because of the war. Regardless of how much time has passed, it wouldn’t matter: this realm’s flow of time differs from that of the Waking Realm. So say, having the survivor of a war from centuries ago suddenly appearing in modern times would be completely explainable.”

“...Mistress? I’m sorry, I think you lost me there.” Diaval scratched his head. Maleficent could tell that her aide has surpassed his threshold for understanding the topic, and thus dropped she dropped the topic for Diaval’s convenience.

Maleficent turned away and continued walking. She comes upon the memory of Strelitzia, talking about her brother and her friend, about a boy she wished to approach but never gather the courage to actually talk to, and of other Dandelions that caught her interest. The Mistress smiled shrewdly, remembering a name Strelitzia had mentioned that Sora had uttered in his stories.

“My, my. I do wonder how _Ventus_ is doing these days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that's right, it's The Moors!
> 
> This was one of the worlds that I really wanted to write for Sora and Vanitas, since the Sleeping Beauty animated movie and Maleficent live action provide an interesting "same characters - different narrative" kind of storytelling. With KH playing with the idea of time being rewritten and dream worlds and sort-of parallel worlds, writing this chapter knowing of Maleficent's role in the franchise was fun. Since Enchanted Dominion was part of KHUX, it is safe to assume that the events of "Maleficent's split" happened before the Player (or in this fic's case, Halcyon) started the events of KHUX. I felt it was okay to write it this way then, because that would mean that everything is still well within the Age of Fairy tales, which would make sense how Maleficent knew of the Dandelions and the events leading up to it, even if "her world wasn't connected to the main timeline" anymore.
> 
> And there you go, a lengthy chapter filled with confusing shit has come to pass. This chapter was written in between the time Nomura confirmed that “Light overwrote reality if it to win” in KH3, thus rendering a few points in the Sleeping Realm Theory moot, and bringing up new theories about the game.
> 
> This is a very lengthy post chapter note (this was uploaded as its own chapter GDI because it was so long), so bear with me, if you want to read it for clarifications on the story.
> 
> So if you didn’t understand the chapter’s technical jargon fully, here’s the simplified version without Sora, Vanitas, and Maleficent’s conversational nuances: Light’s a bitch – so it doesn’t lose against the Darkness, Light overwrites reality to ensure its victory, which results in branching timelines (Timeline 1 having “this happened” and Timeline 2 having “this didn’t happen”). Timeline 1 is the “main timeline”, while Timeline 2 is the “different/fractured timeline”, that I consider a set of worlds the player (Sora) can explore in this fic, because it is in a special area in the Realm of Sleep called the Sector of Singularities.
> 
> Goddamn, that was a mouthful.
> 
> Anyways, I hope this clarifies some things you found confusing in the latest chapter update: I am aware that technical ideas can be hard to explain in the story, considering Sora and Vanitas aren’t particularly the kind of people that wallow on technicalities. If I made them discuss the theory any further than I already had them do, it would be extremely out of character for them, and I didn’t want that.
> 
> It was already a bit of a stretch on Maleficent and Diaval’s character in the last part, but I pushed for it since it would further explain things “in-story” instead of the reader having to wholly rely on a lengthy author’s note. Also, Maleficent is an intellectual, and crows (like Diaval) are smart birds, which I thought made sense for them to discuss such technical matter as alternate timelines.
> 
> This chapter was very much plot-driven, with Sora taking the focus of character development this time around. Sora's at the tipping point of regaining his memories, and is conflicted in what he remembers. Vanitas, of course, was strangely helpful, and so was Maleficent in her own ways.
> 
> Let's wrap this up: so I introduced a new magic called Plant! Halcyon has used this spell in the previous world, and is pretty much an "HP/MP Leech" sort of magic with bonus effects. Vanitas offers a hint of what his "possession" magic is reference to Sora, and the two FINALLY unlocked combination moves. It was about time, I think.
> 
> The next update will be an interlude, and will most likely be posted some time next month (August) since I will be pretty busy for a while! Anyways, who do you think will be in the next interlude, and from the clues provided in the chapter, which world are Sora and Vanitas headed off to next? Drop a comment and kudos and let's talk! XD


	11. Interlude IV: Dates and Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aqua goes on a date. But it isn't with Terra.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm finally back with an update!
> 
> As I mentioned before, this interlude is mainly about the other characters not with Sora and Van, and we'll resume those two's journey in the next chapter update. This fic took me so long to write because (1) I had moved places for review school so it had been hectic moving in, and (2) the actual review school has been very time consuming on my part. But anyways, I tried making time to write and ended up with this 9k monstrosity, with 4 new artworks to accompany it, too. I'm going to be replying to your lovely messages after updating too, since I haven't checked in for a while!
> 
> Anyways, notes are at the end of the chapter for more of my ranting. Without further ado, here's Interlude IV!

In the months that followed after Leon and his friends formed the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, the former broken world slowly revived itself to its former glory. Less of a bastion and becoming more and more of a garden each day, Radiant Garden shone with a brilliance that its denizens used to know of it; the skies may not be as blue as they had been – not yet, at least, Merlin claimed – but there is no mistaking the blooming flora amongst the world’s cityscape. The cobblestone paths gleamed under the HBRC’s efforts to clean up the place, and the flowers and trees that now frame the streets and sidewalks have transformed the forsaken world once again.

With its restoration, the world’s inhabitants were no longer ignorant about the truth of the many vast worlds in existence, and upon the meticulous leadership and efforts of Ansem the Wise and his apprentices with the HBRC, Radiant Garden was approved by Yen Sid to become an Open World, welcoming travelers from other worlds to visit Garden, and has become a neutral meeting place of sorts for people.

More so for the illustrious group of wielders of the Keyblade, and those who worked with them.

Unhurried footsteps echoed on the cobblestone terrain of the Garden Central, where a huge fountain sat in the middle. On most days, it changed color and seemed to dance to whatever music was playing in its vicinity, but today it was calm and blue. It was quite the monument; it’s become a meeting place of sorts for those going out on dates, or couples who wish to merely enjoy Garden Central’s open space.

A set of footsteps slowed upon reaching the fountain, standing a few feet away from the person it intended to meet today.

“Oh, good, I made it in time. You wanted to see me? I hope I didn’t make you wait for too long.”

A young, male voice asked. He looked openly curiously at the female he was approaching, a slight frown on his face.

“It’s no trouble, I just got here myself,” the female voice replied. “Did you have plans prior to this?”

The boy shrugged before replying. “Nothing I couldn’t be a little late for.” The boy quirked a smile at her, open and amused. “To what do I owe this audience with you, Master Aqua?”

Aqua flashed him a somewhat shy smile. “Roxas, will you go out with me?”

~

To be honest, Aqua didn't really plan on actually _liking_ Roxas. To be specific: she was prepared to _not_ be friends with him –she knew that just because they were fighting on the same side didn't necessarily mean they had to be sharing secrets at the next sleepover with everyone. But well, since Kairi returned and Sora didn't, a good number of them had been a little lost, most notably those with closer ties to Sora, and she couldn't leave them all alone, so she proposed they all stick close together.

That was how every Saturday, without fail, all the Keyblade Wielders that weren’t on missions met up at the Land of Departure, to spar and trainand form healthy bonds with each other. She did it mostly for Kairi and Ven, who were obviously affected by Sora’s loss, but she also did it for herself, because she felt she wasn’t trying hard enough to be social.

(Terra, of course, told her she was being ridiculous for thinking that, because someone who wasn’t social wouldn’t even suggest Saturday outings like this. Apparently Isa, who had been standing nearby, heard them, and commented that if they think that whacking each other with weapons is the ideal form of bonding, then yes, maybe Aqua does have the right idea of trying better to socialize. Terra reddened and grumbled to himself, while Aqua merely chuckled with how arch Isa sounded.)

Her first actual conversation with Roxas was well into the second week of their Saturday sparring, since he was absent for the first due to a mission in the Land of Dragons with Xion. She asked him if he was willing for a round, and she remembered asking if Roxas took up Sora or Ven’s fighting style.

The boy merely raised an eyebrow at her and smirked. Then they went for a round.

And then another. And another. And _another_.

The answer to Aqua’s question was neither: Roxas fought like Roxas – his own person – wielding two Keyblades like it was the easiest thing in the world. He wasn’t as fast as Ven in terms of agility, nor were his individual strikes as strong as Sora’s; but what he lacked in speed and power he made up with stamina, frequency of hits, and strategy. He was vicious and relentless, yet still possessed the grace of a Keyblade warrior, using spells as he saw fit, and executed combination moves that none of the others could pull off with a single weapon.

She wonmost of the matches, but she did lose a few rounds when Roxas did something unexpected. It was exhilarating, being able to go toe-to-toe with someone on Terra and Riku’s level of battle competence. She asked him questions on his ability to wield two Keyblades, what it meant for twice the amount of spells he could cast just as she saw him do, and Roxas indulged her with answers as best as he could, and well…

Well. They became quite the pair of friends really, after all that.

It’s a curious case, Aqua thought, to be this degree of comfortable around someone who was basically a stranger. Granted that he possessed her friend’s general appearance, Aqua didn’t really know the enigma that was Roxas outside their lengthy discussions on the Keyblade and magic multi-casting. She can see it too, how a stranger could easily mistake Roxas and Ven for twins, but knowing Ven as she had, she knew their differences quite well.

 

 

Roxas may have Ven’s hair, but his face - the shape of his jaw and the contour of his cheeks and the slope of his nose - were unmistakably Sora’s. As for eyes, Ven’s eyes were a clear cerulean, as Sora’s eyes were a bright shade of sky blue. Roxas, on the other hand, had a vibrant ocean blue, somehow carrying a measure of depth and secrets in his gazes. Kairi once told Aqua that it was one of the things that intrigued people towards Roxas– how his eyes showed such intensity without revealing anything.

The boy fascinated her – this stranger with the familiar face – who got along with Ven in almost no time at all. Already she can tell the two of them shared inside jokes and secrets – secrets that even she was not privy to. She, Terra, and Ven were closer now with their reunion, but it stung a little how Ven was sort of holding back with her and Terra as of late, and how he appears to have made Roxas his closest confidante.

She really didn’t want to care much for Roxas – he wasn’t really in her immediate circle of friends, but Roxas bothered and intrigued her, how he has both Terra’s pessimism and Sora’s optimistism; bitingly witty and dry like Riku and indulgent with Kairi and Naminé. He’s the frustratingly cool sort of charming, more ready with a frown than a smile, but when he does smile it’s ridiculously attention-grabbing.

Aqua sort of gets it then, why sometimes Kairi blushes when she’s with him. Kairi may be in love with Sora, but that doesn’t mean she’s immune to other people’s charms. She has spotted Riku giving him a look too, from time to time, a little warm to be called platonic at times and sometimes even a little _too warm_ for it to be considered “getting in the heat of the battle”.

The most frustrating thing of all is that even she _herself f_ ound Roxas quite distracting– which was absolutely ridiculous since it feels like having a crush on her little brother – but from the interactions she’s had with him, from his quick wit to his overall concern towards all of them, even to those he wasn’t particularly close with, she can’t deny that Roxas is a great guy; Kairi even laughed at that comment, and called Roxas someone she’d consider “boyfriend material”.

 _“Maybe you should go and date him then,”_ Kairi told her over coffee the other day, _“it might at least spur a certain blockhead to pursue you a little more actively.”_ The redhead sounded absolutely arch at that while pointedly looking at her, and she couldn’t help but laugh a little as she felt a light blush on her cheeks.

She wasn’t blind towards Terra’s affections for her - it was mutual after all, a fact only undisclosed openly because the two of them kept dancing around each other instead of outright confessing. Aqua herself would confess and just ask Terra out to get it all over with, but Terra… well, the guy still had hisissues, and so did she, and she wouldn’t want to be in a relationship when they were both mentally and emotionally unprepared for it to go anywhere.

Despite their victory, you don’t just spend more than a decade in the Realm of Darkness and come out unscathed.

 _“No, really!”_ Ven interjected, flapping his arms unnecessarily in her direction, bringing her attention back to the conversation, _“I feel like the two of you would get along so well! You both have that mother hen sort-of vibe, and you’re both really good Keyblade wielders. You even have that standing after-spar dates you two get on magic casting and theory and stuff. I think you guys would work out!”_

 _“Perhaps if you learned how to talk to Roxas, you’d be more open to the idea of actually talking with Terra about stuff the you’re going through, and go forward from there,”_ Kairi added, though Aqua sensed there was less teasing in her voice, and more of a gentle chiding. Aqua threw her a curious look, which she returned with a placid smile.

 _“I feel as if you’re setting this up with more intentions than just to mess with Terra,”_ Aqua replied, taking a sip of her iced coffee. Kairi and Ven then shared a look - _there_ , another meaningful look shared that she doesn’t know the meaning of - and she knows that Kairi’s throwaway comment wasn’t just passing teasing. The two of them were deliberately setting her up with Roxas.

But why?

 _“Well, you’re not wrong,”_ Kairi replied, putting on sly expression, _“but maybe we just think you need more friends to go out with more.”_

Aqua didn’t miss the sad smile Kairi tried to hide tossed in her direction, and the way Ven’s eyes crinkled just a bit that looked like he was trying too hard to seem cheery. She wanted to ask them about it, why the two of them are now suddenly invested in her love life, but opted not to, sensing she wouldn’t get a straight answer anyways.

~

“That is the most bullshit thing I have ever heard from Ventus. And he spouts a lot of bullshit; I would know.”

The two of them went on their date in London, dressed to look the part of civilians and blend in with the foreign world. Aqua wore a subdued shade of blue for a sundress, pearl-lined heels making soft clacking sounds on the cobblestone streets, as her gloved hand carried a parasol over her head to shield her from the light drizzle in London’s glum weather. She even wore a complimenting bonnet to hide her unusual hair color in public, and looking over her ensemble at a passing display window, she can’t help but admit she looked pretty good.

“I’m sure they mean well, and to be honest, I’ve been curious about you too, outside our conversations over our Keyblades and magic. I feel like I should be making more effort getting to know everyone I’m fighting with.”

Roxas threw her an arched eyebrow. “You mean you’re curious how _Ven_ is doing. Don’t pretend that you went along with this absurd idea of theirs without your own agenda. I know you intend to ask me about Ven, since he doesn’t seem to open up to you and Terra despite the amount of time the three of you spend together. And I _know_ that Ven threw you my way so he could avoid your _inquisition_. You’re not subtle, Aqua.”

Aqua openly frowned at him and internally winced, the boy guessing her intentions spot-on. _He’s smart_ , Aqua learned quickly, _more astute about people’s intentions than Riku and Terra. And he's not afraid to be bluntly honest about it, too._ She took in Roxas’ attire for the day: a brown trenchcoat over his shirt and expensive-looking waistcoat, dark pants and brown boots. He wore a warm pair of leather gloves, the glint of a silver wristwatch peeking through his cuffs.

It's amazing how well put together and mature Roxas looked, with his handsome adolescent face, blond hair slicked back, and eyes affixed with a clever look in them. He doesn't seem to notice it, but Aqua noticed quite a few girls - even a handful of boys - send him shy and blushing looks. Her height and pretty face have garnered a little bit of male attention as well – even the flattering lingering looks of a few ladies they passed by – but none quite as charmed as those that Roxas attracts.

 

 

She isn't a fool in that department either - she knows she and Roxas paint quite the picture walking together - and she couldn't help but hope that from whatever vantage point Terra has situated himself at (because let's be frickin' honest, Kairi, Ven, _and_ Naminé would totally bully Terra into spying on their supposed “date” and Terra would _cave_ ) that he would at least get the balls to ask her on a legit date.

Despite their lingering personal issues, it's not like she'd say no to a date with Terra.

"If you _are_ going to ask about Ven, then I'm afraid this “date” would be moot point," Roxas continued, "Ven is as cagey about his secrets enough as it is. I do _not_ want to deal with him worrying what I told you about him."

"That's surprisingly loyal of you," Aqua demurred.

Roxas arched an eyebrow at her. "I don't know what your impression of me was, but I wasn't aware I inspired the image of someone whom loyalty was unexpected from."

Aqua cringed internally. "No! I only meant-"

"Don't bother explaining, I get it," Roxas waved a gloved hand at her dismissively, "it's surprising how close me and Ventus are, how we trust each other so easily, given we've only known each other, what? Only a few weeks? Kairi had asked me about it too."

"From what I've heard of you, I didn't think you'd be close with Kairi either," Aqua ventured.

“That makes both of us,” Roxas replied, sidestepping a passing pedestrian walking opposite them, “I only really met Kairi back when we were fighting Xehanort. But if we’re getting technical, Kairi and I met by telepathy, back when Naminé was still putting back Sora’s memories together again in the old mansion. That’s about a year ago now.”

“And the two of you hit it off?”

“Apparently, yeah,” Roxas threw her a backward glance, lips quirked in a small smile, “she’s fun to be around. I enjoy our spars and whatever activity she ropes me in. And we talk as well. Not as extensively as Ven does, but we do get around to talk about stuff.”

“Does she talk to you about…?” Aqua asked.

The blond nodded. “Yeah. She isn’t fine with it, but Axel and the squad from Twilight Town cheer her up. She hangs around Isa these days, if she isn’t with Axel, Xion, or Naminé.”

“Or you,” Aqua added, “don’t pretend as if you’re not part of this big social circle. The fact that you and Ven are close enough to keep secrets makes you pretty much included. I just wish you would tell us what you guys are up to.”

Roxas suddenly pivoted on his heel and stepped towards her. Caught off guard, Aqua motioned to step back, but is tilted off balance by Roxas grabbing her arm and pulling her forward. Her parasol slips from where it rested on her shoulder and falls to the crook of her arm. As she got her bearings, she’s faced with Roxas’s profile close to her face, his eyes glinting in the shadow of her parasol.

Under the parasol’s shade, Roxas’s blue eyes looked as piercing in shadow than it normally did; his gaze held a steely look to them, intense and unrelenting.

“Ven’s secrets…are not the kind he wishes to reveal to you and Terra, specifically because he knows you’ll worry over him. More than you already do. He’s working through it – with Naminé and Xion, and most of the time, me. He…isn’t fine, not by a long shot, but I want you to know that he will be. He’ll tell you his secrets when he’s ready, so please, don’t be so hard on him. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can say about the matter. For now.”

Roxas lets go of her arm and leans back, grabbing her parasol to adjust it back to where it rested on her shoulder. He smirked then, all of a sudden, as he angled the parasol at a weird direction and leaned his mouth to her ear. The way she felt Roxas’s breath catch by the shell of her ear felt very intimate, and she can’t help but wonder for whom Roxas is putting on such a show.

“Oh, and tell Terra he sucks at spying. Honestly, this makes teasing him all too easy.”

Aqua turned her head minutely and looked at Roxas’s amused expression, and she can immediately tell that from the angle Roxas adjusted her parasol, it looked as if the boy stole a kiss from her from wherever Roxas spotted Terra to be.

“Cheeky,” Aqua giggled, “think that’s enough to rile him up?”

Roxas finally leaned away and took a step back, still wearing a shit-eating grin. “Care to explore that possibility then, _mademoiselle_?”

And he sounds so _flirtatious_ as well. Well, if Aqua isn’t going to glean anything about Ven from his supposed twin, then she might as well enjoy herself. Two can play that game.

 _Oh Terra, please don’t mind our teasing so much_ , Aqua thought.

“Only if you would be so willing, _monsieur_ ,” Aqua demurred.

Roxas grinned a little wider, offering an arm for her to take, which she does, as the two of them walk towards the local café they planned to have coffee. From a street corner, Terra gaped at the two, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

~

Out of all the things she expected out of her date with Roxas, being this _socially awkward_ was not one of them.

She wasn’t a completely hopeless antisocial woman – she manages the shop back on Destiny Islands with Terra and Isa, but it seems interacting with island locals on store transactions was completely different from interacting with the bustling and always moving London populace.

She may have retained her manners, but it’s quickly become obvious how out of touch with social cues she’s been.

She stutters when the brusque barista at the bar asked for her order, she gives an awkward laugh and silence to another barista obviously making a gaudy pass at her, and she even fumbles a simple apology to a well-dressed woman she accidentally bumps into by the ladies’ room, which earned her a disdainful look and a huff from the wealthy-looking woman. The café they went to wasn’t noisy, but she sometimes still startles when the bell by the entrance door chimes whenever a patron enters, and looks apprehensively by the register when it trills its high pitched ring when somebody rings up the bill.

Roxas, on the other hand,is the definition of a social expert.

When Aqua stuttered her order, Roxas smoothly pulled her to his side with a hand on her back, ordering for both of them as he charmed the brusque barista with a smile and a wink, reducing the barista to girlish giggling. He made light conversation about the weather with the barista who flirted with her, and as she seated herself by the window, watched as Roxas effortlessly held a tray with their coffee and ordered pastries, weaving past the shop’s tables and chairs with the easy grace of a well-seasoned gentleman.

Aqua may look the part of a beautiful lady, but she is nothing but a beautiful disaster apparently. Roxas, on the other hand…

She took a tentative sip of her _cafe au lait_ and sighed, feeling frustrated at herself.

“Aqua? Is something wrong?” Roxas asked, sitting opposite her. He looked genuinely concerned for her, which meant she wasn’t hiding her emotions as well as she thought she was. “Is…the food not good? We could go some place else if you want.”

“No! No, everything’s fine!” Aqua noticed some of the patrons seated near their table throw her curious glances, as she realized she spoke a little too loudly. And wow, she’s…not altogether present, isn’t she?

“I’m fine, Roxas, really!” Aqua replied at a more subdued tone. Roxas just gave her a skeptical look. “The food is fine, and the coffee is lovely. I just…have a few things on my mind.”

Roxas set his own mug of coffee down and propped his chin on his arm resting on the table. He looked the picture of unhurried inquiry, but his eyes betrayed his concern. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“Do you come here often?”

Roxas snorted into his mug of coffee. “That is a terrible pickup line.”

“That’s-!” Aqua sputtered.

“You should try it on Terra, see what would happen.”

“You are _impossible_.” Aqua found herself smiling though.

“Quite a lot, yeah,” Roxas answered what he knew was avoidance of the topic, “I went with Naminé and Xion when they bought clothes the other week. Axel’s taken to bringing me here regularly to buy a specific brand of tea this world has that Isa likes. I’ve taken Ven here a couple of times before, too, for missions, and other times for leisure. I guess you could say I’m a frequent visitor of this world.”

“I’ve been here only once before, I think,” Aqua mused.

“With Terra,” Roxas added.

Aqua hummed in lieu of a verbal answer. “I never realized that the worlds could be this populated. I think even the old me would be surprised at the number of people walking around so leisurely like this.”

“It’s how the worlds have always been – or so Isa said. The only reason why we didn’t see many people milling around in the worlds before is because the darkness made the people evacuate or outright eliminated them. Now?” Roxas huffed, “you can’t avoid dealing with people with this number. I’ve gotten quite the hang of socializing in a more friendly setting, strange as that is to say.”

“I didn’t think you were this socially adept.”

Roxas threw her a dry yet amused look. “First, you don’t think me loyal. Now you think I’m inept? Was it my usual resting bitch face?”

That startled a laugh from Aqua. “No! It’s just, I’m slowly realizing that I don’t have that much of a social experience outside interacting with fellow Keyblade warriors and shop patrons recently, and that I’m not as in touch with people as I thought I was. And that you’re much more of a people person than I initially thought.”

“Trust me, even I’m surprised that I’m this approachable. I blame Sora and Ventus for this. And it’s to be expected you’d be a little out of touch with dealing with people,” Roxas replied, “you spent ten years all by yourself in theDarkness, and even succumbed to it before Sora, Riku, and King Mickey rescued you.”

“Pardon me for sounding rude, but if my timeline is right, you didn’t even exist up until more than two years ago. It’s just struck me a little ridiculous that a literal two-year-old is better at socializing than a 28-year-old stuck in an 18-year-old body,” Aqua retorts archly.

“I’m Sora’s Nobody,” Roxas replied drily, as if that was an explanation, “I do share some of his characteristics, save for his usual idiocy. And I’m friends with Axel, who as you’re aware, can talk anyone’s ear off if given the chance. I’m also friends with Kairi, who is the definition of a social butterfly if she’s not busy wallowing in self-pity. You on the other hand, hang around Terra and Riku, who are terrible at socializing and rely heavily on being pretty enough to look at to survive the meager and awkward interactions they are capable of getting themselves into.”

Aqua stuck her tongue at him. Roxas rolled his eyes at her.

“Now who’s the two-year-old?”

“Terra and Riku are not awkward,” Aqua defended them, “they’re just the silent types.”

“Riku spent an entire year angsting about Sora while working for DiZ, kidnapped me so Sora could absorb me to wake up, then spent a vast majority of the time after Sora woke up to avoid him because he looked like Ansem Seeker of Darkness, instead of communicating with him like the best friends they are. And they only reunited and made up after Kairi intervened. I don’t know about Terra, but Riku’s the poster child of angst and emo issues.”

Aqua tried to stifle her laughter – she didn’t want to make fun of Riku – but Roxas was sort of right in his assessment of the silver-haired boy. Riku _was_ a little socially awkward sometimes, even around them. Especially now that he’s gone barely talking to them over the course of his journey to find Sora.

She merely chalked it up to Riku just being more comfortable around Sora, Kairi, and King Mickey, who he’s spent a greater deal of time in his teenage formative years. And she can’t fault Riku for being a little stoic – she’s aware of Riku’s history with the darkness and his journey back to the Light as a Keyblade wielder, so she surmised that, like Terra, Riku’sstill in the process of coming into his own person.

He’s gotten better recently though –like Roxas said, being around people like Kairi and Axel tend to raise ones social skills by interacting with them.

And Terra…well, he was stalking them from a few tables away wearing dark tinted glasses and a ridiculous fedora while being _indoors_ , which didn’t really paint him in a very good light. Aqua internally winced at him.

“And Ven?” Roxas continued, “okay, he’s good, but you don’t hang around him that often these days, and let me tell you that guy’s a little touched in the head. The things he says and does…ah, yeah, sorry about that.”

Roxas looked at her a little contrite, conscious of the fact that he’s the one taking most of Ven’s time these days away from Aqua and Terra.

“It’s fine, as long as you’re helping him get through whatever it is he’s dealing with,” Aqua replied tiredly. Aqua doesn’t blame Roxas for why Ven’s been distant with her recently; at least, not like before, when she didn’t even have a clue as to what’s going on with Ven and Roxas.

“If it makes you feel better, I was a total space cadet during my first weeks when I came to be,” Roxas offered, smiling wryly. “Axel took me and Xion in under his care when we were in the Organization. I suppose being friends with Axel while inheriting Sora’s innate friendliness did hone me to be more social than I thought I would be.”

“Ugh, it’s like you didn’t even try, then,” Aqua rolled her eyes at him, teasing the blond.

“Hey! I’ll have you know I tried _really hard_ from the get-go!” Roxas mock-glared at her, before dropping his expression for a more fond one. “I may not seem like it, but I’m actually not very outgoing myself. If I hadn’t had Axel, Kairi, and Ven as friends, I think I’d be pretty much socially inept.”

Aqua looked apologetically at Roxas. “I’m sorry, that sounded pretty rude didn’t it? I know you’re putting in the effort to get along with everyone, and I admire that about you. I did notice you prefer interacting with a smaller circle of friends, so it’s really nice you’re so open to going out with others, and that you’re good at it too.”

“Good at what exactly?” Roxas asked, sounding confused.

“You don’t even realize it,” Aqua chuckled, “you’re very easy to talk to, Roxas. You give off the feeling that you listen to people – _really listen_ to them – and there’s this sense of safety you give off.I’m slowly realizing why Ven opened up to you as quickly as he did, considering he’s pretty friendly too.”

Roxas looked like he wanted to refute what she said for a moment, before he schooled his expression into a more relaxed face.

“I’m barely even doing anything as it is, Aqua,” Roxas replied with a soft voice, staring absently at the mug of coffee in his hands, “I just took you out for coffee here because I thought it’d be nice.”

“And that was exactly what I needed,” Aqua stared at her cake in concentration. “Sometimes I forget that I was only eighteen when all this went down. I was eighteen and naïve, thinking I could shoulder the weight of being a Master, traveling the worlds with Terra and Ven. Then…everything fell apart. All those plans I made for the three of us slipping through my fingers like ashes scattering to the wind. And then years later, I’m still eighteen, but I don’t feel my age anymore. I’m a Keyblade Master, teaching Riku and guiding Terra as best as I could, trying to uphold the values that Master Eraqus has taught us. I’ve fought battles I shouldn’t have to, but had to, because who else could have stood up against Xehanort back then? I’ve sacrificed so much of my life to champion the Light, and now that peace has been won, I barely know what to do with myself anymore, now that I don’t have to fight for my life every single second I’m alive.

“It’s just…Roxas, after all these years, shouldn’t have I got it together by now?” Aqua sighed, “I shouldn’t be this _incapable_. I shouldn’t still be this much of a mess.”

Aqua stabbed her fork at the cake before her in frustration. She now realized that it’s piled up on her: first, her inability to save Terra and Ventus on time, then succumbing to the darkness in the Realm of Darkness, and now…her current situation wherein her absence from the Realm of Light highlighting all her inadequacies.

She’s done a lot of good, she knows this, _she believes she’s done her best_ , but now with the war over and their enemies are no longer making life difficult for her and her friends, she strangely feels disconnected from everything. Training with Riku and Terra, sparring with everyone – it’s not that fighting is all that she knows how to do, but fighting is _all_ that she’s done after all these years, that the memory of being the girl she used to be before the war is but a faded and jaded picture from a decade long gone, and she –

She misses this girl, this girl who only worried for her friends and what to have for a picnic with them and Master Eraqus. She misses this girl who made Wayfinder charms for her best friends, like the hope she imbued within these trinkets would ward danger away from them and always let them find their way to each other.

She misses that sweet girl who hadn’t lost anything yet, who hasn’t suffered the pain of fighting for her life, and bearing the fate of the worlds and Kingdom Hearts on her shoulders with every battle she fought.

She is a hero and Keyblade Master, strong, independent and a shoulder to lean on, but it is this sweet, innocent girl she yearns to be, who was still naïve and didn’t know better, but was whole and unbroken.

“Hey,” the blond reached out to grab Aqua’s hand on the table, “don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve had a really rough _decade._ If it were anybody else, I think the time and isolation in the Realm of Darkness would’ve driven anyone insane. But here you are anyway, a survivor, ready to face what the world still has left to throw at you.

“We don’t expect you to be okay right off the bat, Master Aqua. All wounds need time to recover, even the ones that don’t leave physical scars. You can stop trying to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You’re allowed to lay down your arms and break down; we’ll all be here to help pick up the pieces as you build yourself back together again.

“It’s okay Aqua. You can let yourself go. We’re not going anywhere.”

Roxas was leaning towards her from across the table, his fingers swiping at her cheek. She doesn’t even realize she’s crying until after the fact.

“I…”

“Life hasn’t been easy for any of us,” Roxas sat back again, his eyes never leaving hers. “And I know it’s cheap consolation to say that we’ll be here for you when you’re down, because even if we do say that, it doesn’t mean you automatically feel like opening up to us. We’ve gone through so much over the course of our own journeys, that the things we’ve seen and experienced…no one can truly understand the pain of what it is we went through. It’s pointless to compare which one of us suffered greater or longer, or that we understand your pain when we don’t–becauseit doesn’t change the fact we all suffered just the same.

“But Aqua? In case you needed someone to tell you, you’re allowed to be break down from time to time. That’s…that’s one of the things you can finally let yourself do, now that we’re all here. I hope you can rely on us, even just a little.”

“ _But maybe we just think you need more friends to go out with more.”_

She’s a hypocrite, she belatedly realized. She was trying to get Kairi and Ventus to open up to her, when she herself had shut people out from the brunt of her emotions. All her life she’s groomed herself to fill in the role of Master, of looking out for people, that she forgot to look out for herself as well. She set herself aside from the others, and closed herself from making new connections, content with the company she already had, because she didn’t want to give herself more people to care about and lose.

And Ven, even with the meager time he’s spent with her, had seen that side of her that was silently suffering. It suddenly made sense now, why Kairi and Ven were so insistent she go out with Roxas. She knew that if Ven confronted her about her dark thoughts, she would have dismissed him, and Ven _knew_ that, so he did the only thing he could: he teased about her crush on Terra and concern for his wellbeing to persuade her to talk to Roxas, the one person that Ven felt confident enough to confide his secrets in, believing that Aqua would do the same.

And Roxas is genuinely concerned about her; it didn’t matter if he knew why Ven sent her his way like this under the guise of a date; Roxas wasn’t talking to her out of pity, but out of his genuine desire to connect with people.

Like Sora.

“Why did you agree to go out with me today, Roxas?” Aqua asked. “You and I both know that Ven couldn’t have coerced us so easily to go out together like this. And you know I had my reasons. So what’s yours?”

Roxas smiled at her gently.

“For the longest time, I wasn’t free to be my own person; I couldn’t keep the people that I had grown to cherish and fight for them, and the moment that I did leave, I was thrown from one prison into another. All my life, I had people wanting to use me for their own selfish gain, never asking what it was that I wanted or needed, because I was a Nobody who couldn’t possibly have heart.

“I hated Sora when I first saw him. I resented the fact that I had to disappear just so this person could wake up. It wasn’t fair. I wanted to be my own person, making my own decisions, hanging out with friends and having ice cream together.Taking charge of my fate. And as impossible a wish it seemed at the time, somebody wanted that for me too – who looked at me and didn’t see a Nobody, but _someone_ who was worth believing in.

“Sora believed in me, that I was my own person, that I deserved to walk in the Light like everyone else did. Sora may not know me best, but I got the chance to know him when I came back to him. When I was in his heart, he taught me things like forgiveness and understanding, empathy and kindness, of believing in the best there is in everyone. Iwant to be the kind of person who can be worth the amount of belief Sora put in me. I want to be the kind of person that Sora is, the way he could make his own decisions and have people love him regardless of it.

“So I try to be better. I’m still trying to find the person that I can be, and where it is in this crazy universe I can fit in, and I hope that who and where I end up is where the rest of you are too.”

Aqua sat in silence as Roxas finished saying his piece. Of course Roxas understood her at a level; none of them had it easy to get where they were. She can finally see a little glimpse into the intricate connection that Roxas shared with Sora, and on a deeper level, their connections with Ven, Naminé, and Xion. She’s heard of who Xion and Naminé were, and how they were relevant to their group, but she never realized how deep their shared stigma of being forced to serve other people’s ambitions truly screwed them up.

She finds herself grateful then, that she, Roxas and the rest of them can finally be free to live as they pleased, without the shadow of Xehanort moving them like his pieces on his chessboard, forced to deal with the consequences of their shrewd machinations.

“You think I can do that, too? Find my way back?”

Roxas’ lips quirked upward at her question. “Of course you can. You’ve finally opened up about your deep-seated trauma with someone, hadn’t you? You’re doing fine, as far as traumatized teens surviving to adulthood are concerned.”

“Thank you, Roxas,” Aqua laughed, brushing a stray tear from her eye. She’s grateful for him trying to lighten up the conversation from their suddenly heavy topic. “I never would’ve guessed we had that in common.”

The blond raised a brow at her.

Aqua shrugged, answering the unasked question. “Having an active pursuit to find our place in the world.”

“Don’t we all?” Roxas countered.

Aqua shook her head amusedly. “No. We’ve gone through so many places and people that we know where it is that we _don’t_ belong. You don’t belong in the Organization, and I don’t belong in the Realm of Darkness. We don’t belong in our pasts. But amongst those many places we don’t belong in, there _is_ a place we do. I suppose I just needed someone to say it to me.”

“Glad I could be the one then,” Roxas chuckled, “I do find it funny that we choose to bond over our existential crises on our date. You’re taking after Ven.”

“Is that why you refuse to share with us what Ven tells you? Because you signed up to be his therapist of some sort? Patient confidentiality?” Aqua joked, taking the teasing opening Roxas offered to finally steer their conversation to lighter topics.

“I am _not_ a therapist,” Roxas sighed, “though everybody else seems to think otherwise.”

“Oh? Aside from Kairi, do Naminé and Xion tell you stuff too?”

A strange look crossed Roxas’ face for a moment, before it turned into a devious grin.

“As a matter of fact, they do. Want to hear some stories regarding the girls and Ven?”

~

The rest of the afternoon passed in a happier mood from that point. After having coffee at the café, the two of them went for a stroll along the sidewalks under the grey London skies, laughing and trading stories about their friends. Roxas told Aqua of the weird dancing-around-each-other thing between Naminé and Riku, and Aqua told him of her earlier days with Terra and Ven as they trained under Master Eraqus.

When they reached the nearby park, they shared a pack of chips from a street vendor, snickering as they fed each other in the cheesiest way possible, knowing that Terra was following and watching them. She tossed a few chips at the pond, and watched as a few ducks waded closer to food, snatching up the chips in curiosity.

Aqua learned to meet strangers’ eyes and exchange the occasional cordial ‘ _good day’_ when greeted, and when a group of local musicians played a classic piece in the park, she grabbed Roxas’ hand and taught himhow to waltz, garnering her first look of shyness and mild flustering from the boy. It was endearing.

Their “date” slowly wound down a few hours after lunch, the two of them settling peacefully by a wrought iron bench, this time discussing the merits of Aqua learning how to dual-wield with her own Keyblade and the one she inherited from Master Eraqus, then going on a tangent where Roxas wondered if dual-casting Magic that was opposite in their natures would be possible, like Fire and Blizzard.

From where they sat, they could see Terra sitting a few benches away from them, hiding his huge form behind an obnoxiously large newspaper held over his face. Roxas made a few teasing remarks on Terra’s spying techniques, to which Aqua replied that even back then, she and Terra weren’t the best at being sneaky – Ven was the one who learned how to be sneakier when given the chance.

There was a lull in their conversation, to which the two of them watched the people passing by, contented with sharing the silence that hung between them, comfortable in each other’s presence.

Roxas spoke first. “Ven is your friend, right?”

“Of course,” Aqua replied immediately, no hesitation, “nothing, not even our time apart, can change that.”

“Then when the time comes that Ven is ready to tell you his secrets, I want you and Terra to remind him of it. Despite his light nature, Ven can be difficult. They way the two of us share similar features and our connection to Sora…there’s more to it than everyone else thinks. It’s complicated, how the two of us specifically fit in relation to Sora, and why it is that Ven sought me out the way he did to make friends with me, and eventually share with me his secrets.”

“Of course. Terra and I will always be there for Ven. You can count on us.” Aqua paused for a bit before continuing. “But…there’s just one thing I want to ask, and please Roxas, I want you to answer this one.

“Is Ventus safe?”

The crumpled look that Roxas wore gave Aqua her answer.

“We’re all safe for now, that much I can tell you.”

“’ _We’re all safe for now_ ’? Roxas, what do you mean?”

Roxas shook his head. “Ven’s secret isn’t as simple as you might think. It’s bigger than all of us. _Older_ than all of us. It’s a giant mess that we’re still trying to understand, and until Ven comes to terms with it, he has to sort himself out.”

Aqua wanted to say a lot of things about it. _I wish Ven came to us about it. I wish we could be the ones able to help him. I wish…I wish Ven didn’t feel like he needed to hide anything from us. I wish I didn’t feel this selfish about Ven, when I know he has more people in his life now._

Instead though, she reeled herself in, and let out a breath. “Okay. Please keep him safe when we’re unable to do so.”

Roxas smiled at her. “You don’t even have to ask that of me. He’s my friend now too.”

~

In the end, Aqua lost her patience. Using a mild chant, she summoned a Thunder and sent it Terra’s way, who was _still_ doing a terrible job of spying on them. Roxas laughed at the undignified yelp that the older male let out.

“Honestly, Terra, you can do better than this,” Aqua admonished him, sounding cross between disappointed and amused, “I know Master Eraqus didn’t train us in being spies exactly, but I had thought you would at least be a little more subtle in following us.”

“Yeah Terra, you make a terrible stalker,” Roxas added.

Terra scowled at him. “I am _not_ trying to be a stalker. Maybe you’re the one trying to work something with Aqua.”

Roxas threw him a shit-eating grin. “Jealous?”

Terra’s scowl deepened. Aqua couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Relax Terra, Roxas and I were just discussing a few things we needed to touch up on. And yes, that included what was happening with Ven.”

The older male turned to Aqua, his expression marginally softening. “Oh. And?”

“Roxas told me not to worry about it, so I decided to take his word for it. Ven’s allowed to have his own secrets; after all, we all have a few secrets we don’t want our loved ones to find out, right?”

Terra sighed and replied with an _okay_ , his tense shoulders relaxing. Roxas snickered at how easy Terra was for Aqua – honestly, this guy _really_ isn’t subtle. Aqua didn’t miss it and kicked the blond lightly in the shin.

“Speaking of worrying,” Roxas drawled, “you look quite worried yourself Terra. What brings you here? Must’ve been important if you felt the need to follow me and Aqua as long as you have.”

“I wasn’t following you for that long,” Terra protested, “I just got here and decided to watch you guys because, er…you two didn’t seem that close before.”

Both Aqua and Roxas threw him unconvinced looks, with Aqua arching an eyebrow at him.

“Hmm. I did worry about that waiter at the café giving this customer weird looks for staying at the establishment without ordering anything.” Terra winced at Aqua’s dry tone.

“Don’t be ridiculous Aqua,” Roxas smirked, “I saw that gentleman order coffee and had it delivered at his table. I do remember him not touching it though, and the weird looks he got because of it.”

“Alright! You got me! So I was here the whole time!”

“Wow. We didn’t notice.” Aqua and Roxas said in unison, complete with the most arch and sarcastic tone they could muster. Aqua was beginning to think Roxas would indeed make a great friend. Even though they had other objectives, Aqua realized that Kairi and Ven were right: maybe she really did need to make more friends.

“As stimulating this conversation is, I believe me and Aqua’s outing has come to an end, now that her errant knight with questionable espionage skills is here. Terra,” Roxas turned to the boy, giving hima sly look, “I recommend the restaurant near Hyde Park. The food is quite good, and despite having no scenic view, the place does have a nice atmosphere. Be a gentleman and take Aqua on a proper dinner date. Then, by the grace of the gods, ask her out already, so the rest of us can stop watching the two of you skirt around each other like a couple of pre-pubescentteenagers dealing with your angst and issues separately, and learn to communicate. Have dinner, talk, then fuck if you must. I refuse to deal with any of you two like this in any capacity any further.”

Aqua mentally corrected herself: Roxas is a _terrible_ friend.

Terra’s mouth slacked at Roxas’ words, before managing to fluster out “What do you- It’s not- I’m not-”

“Aqua, I already have my hands full with Ven. I do _not_ want to play the part of you or Terra’s therapist as well,” Roxas threw her a small smile, this one a genuine one, “you got this, Master. Give yourself a little more credit.”

 _Okay, fine_ , Aqua gave up, _Roxas isn’t too terrible a friend._

“It’s still a few hours before dinner time. Want to walk with me Terra?”

Apparently, that was all Terra needed to stop being a mess, as he nodded at Roxas and turned his full attention to her, sending her a charming smile. She may swooned a little.

“For as long as you’d have my company,” Terra replied smoothly.

~

As the two about-to-be couple walked farther away, Roxas dropped himself down on the now vacated bench. He huffed a sigh and threw his head back, lounging lazily by the bench’s backrest.

“The two of you can come out now.”

He heard rustling sounds from a nearby bush, and as he turned his head in bush’s direction, he’s met with the sight of Ven and Kairi in their own version of London attire.Kairi wore her red hair in a chignon, while donning a pale pink-and-white afternoon dress and jacket ensemble. Ven, unsurprisingly, wore an outfit that was similar to his own, drawing attention to their twin-like appearance.

 

 

Roxas threw them an unimpressed look, to which Ven simply returned with his own pleased look. Kairi looked amused as well.

“You knew we followed you, too?” Kairi asked.

“No. I only called out to myself mostly, hoping that the two of you _didn’t_ follow me and Aqua like actual decent human beings with more important things to do with your time, but here you are anyway, proving me wrong on so many levels.”

“Now, now, Roxy,” Ventus waggled a finger at him, “I know you were looking forward to a date with me instead – ”

“Disgusting,” Roxas threw him his most scandalized expression.

“– but I hope you realize this was a necessary undertaking.” Ventus finished, undeterred.

“Necessary for _who_ exactly?” Roxas asked.

“For me of course!” Vengrinned. “If Aqua and Terra could wrap themselves up in each other, then the both of them would be off my case, and so the two of us can continue our budding romance freely and uninterrupted.”

Roxas ignored Ven’s petty answer – he is _not_ getting a straight answer from this lunatic – and instead turned to Kairi. “What exactly convinced _you_ to go with this crazy asshole on stalking me?”

Ven threw him a hurt look, while Kairi only laughed. “He said _I_ needed to go out more. I wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. Besides, it was fun watching someone take the lead with Aqua for once. You really helped her back there. It wasn’t a lie when we said we think you guys make good friends.”

Roxas gave Kairi a smile. “I was actually nervous about going out with her today. I’m glad I managed to get her to open up. Though I have to ask,” Roxas turned to his look-alike, “what gave you the idea that Aqua would open up to me?”

“No particular reason,” Ven shrugged, his expression a little more serious now, “At most, I _hoped_ you would get Aqua to vent a little about her problems. You’re a very genuine person, Roxas. It’s one of the many reasons why I find your company enjoyable.”

Roxas felt the sincerity in Ven’s words. “And if she didn’t open up?”

Ven winced. “Then I would have said something instead later on.”

“Even if you weren’t ready to tell her? To tell them?”

“They’re my best friends, Roxas,” Ven smiled a little wanly, “A part of me would always want to for them, regardless if I was ready or not.”

Kairi took Ven’s hands in her own. Over the past few weeks, Ven had told Roxas of being closer friends with the red head, and how much similarity they possessed. This has lead to Ven sharing a part of his secret to Kairi – that he knows exactly where Sora is, and that he’s fine.

Kairi – bless her – didn’t pry any further when she noticed Ven hesitate on divulging more, and took his words in good faith. Kairi has started going out and talking more with people than she did before, and it’s a positive change that Roxas is happy to see in her.

“Well, your hopes have been fulfilled it would seem, so all’s well that ends well, I suppose?”

Ven laughed, lacing his fingers with Kairi as he leaned in her direction. “I- yeah. Thanks for this Roxas. You’re the best.”

“Light, the two of them better get their shit together after all this,” Roxas said, before an idea popped in his head.

There’s something to be said about spending much time with Ven as he has. He’d like to think he’s the more mature of the two of them, but really? When you’re friends with someone who’s a snoop like Axel, as petty as Ven, and as openly curious as Kairi, well…

“You know what?” Roxas began, his expression narrowing. Ven and Kairi looked at each other in amusement, probably guessing where this was heading. Well, it’s not like it matters – Ven and Kairi _clearly_ have nothing better to do today, those two would definitely come with him.

“Fuck it. Let’s follow those two. I bet they wouldn’t even notice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aqua and Terra FINALLY make a few steps forward, thanks to their friends' meddling. Lol.
> 
> Terra and Ven's reception of Roxas has been pretty obvious, so I wanted to write about Aqua's take on him. The thing is, the entire interlude spun beyond my control when I had the idea to write the pairing of Aqua and Roxas as "crack treated seriously" by making them go on a funny date, and then have that date be about them discussing their life problems. And well, you've read what happened.
> 
> Aqua has always struck me as the "empathic yet problematic" type, and after her stint in the Realm of Darkness, I wondered how her character would have gone from that point. I mean, 10 years of isolation and continuous fighting? That's gotta take its toll. However, she also seemed to be the type to power through PTSD and go straight to having an existential crisis in private while trying to be there for her equally troubled friends, so I kind of wanted to write something like that. Hence, why Roxas was my pick to pair up with her. Not only is Roxas fun to write as the reluctant concerned friend for everybody else, but having Aqua interact with Ven's look-alike is just too good to pass up.
> 
> You'd also notice that Terra is written out to be like some huge dork, but I assure you, this angsty boy has his own side of the story to tell in the future. XD And he's only a dork because the people around him just love messing with the guy. Lol. Roxas and Kairi were already friends from the start, but I surprised myself that Kairi and Ven had that chemistry to be legit friends too. The three of them are surprisingly nice to write together, too.
> 
> Anyways, what's your take on Aqua and Roxas this interlude? Next update would be next month (again) so I could write and draw better for the next world Sora and Van are going to be on. Quite a few have guessed right what the next world would be, so I guess the next question would be: which Disney character would Sora and Van end up bonding in the next world? Drop a comment down below and let's talk!


	12. Chapter 7 - I'm waking up to ash and dust (I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the city, where the heroes are a-plenty, you change your clothes everyday, and school is a thing and yes, Vanitas and Sora, you're going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay hear me out.
> 
> I’m sorry for the long absence – review school took up my time. And then a few days before my scheduled update, my Word documents in my tablet got corrupted, and since I had no backup of everything I’ve written on the new chapter thus far, I had to REWRITE EVERYTHING on the new chapter. And boy was that not fun. And then review school just got more and more hectic and I didn’t have enough time to rewrite and so on, so...
> 
> Yeah. It’s been a month. Lol
> 
> But rewriting the chapter and delaying it has given some new ideas, and rewrite a few key details into the current World that the first writing didn’t have. Although I was pissed about rewriting the whole thing, content-wise, I felt more satisfied with my rewrite more than the previous, so I’m cool with it I suppose hahaha
> 
> Anyways, I do have art for this chapter, but I’ll be uploading it at a later date since it’s not quite done. Writing and drawing does take a bit of time.
> 
> Also...hahaha...remember that monstrous arc called Clawtooth Mountain? I might have...haha...written an unnecessarily long arc...again...haha...oops.
> 
> ANYWAYS here’s the first part of the new arc with Sora and Vanitas, and without further ado, here’s the next chapter!
> 
> EDIT: Finally uploaded this chapter's artworks! XD

“For all the fucking things that give a _flying fuck_ , FUCK YOU SORA!” Van screamed at him.

“I SAID I’M SORRY OKAY? It’s not like I meant to transport us directly into a fight right away!” Sora screamed back at him, slashing his Keyblade in a wide arc before him to destroy a bunch of Heartless in his way. “Look on the bright side though: we’re not in a forest this time – we’re in a city!”

“Thanks I hate it already,” Vanitas growled, summoning a few Unversed to serve as his footrests in mid air. He did a mild flip and landed on his feat neatly on his Unversed, with Sora following him as he summoned Meow Wow to do the same. They watched as a huge horde of Heartless tore through the streets, as civilians ran and screamed away in panic to get away.

“I was thinking more of a little R&R in the city. You know, grab a bite to eat, watch a movie, stay away from violence, keep it G-rated,” Vanitas grumbled, a disinterested eye surveying the damage below him.

“Van, your idea of a vacation is going to a new place and looking for new ways to get violent, you’re not fooling anyone,” Sora glanced at him. Van stuck his tongue out at him.

“Maybe I _want_ to be non-violent for a change.”

Sora raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you?”

“Fuck no,” Van snorted, answering immediately, proving Sora’s point, “I was being hypothetical.”

“Well you can stop being hippopotamus or something and help me kick some Heartless ass.”

Vanitas stared at him for a good deal, completely ignoring the rampaging horde of Heartless before them. Sora squirmed at the attention.

“What?”

“It’s _hypothetical_ ,” Vanitas corrected him, saying the word slowly to him like he was an idiot, before breaking into a smirk, “and I gotta say, what a colorful language you’re developing. I’m sure your friends back home will be thrilled to see this new Sora 2.0!”

“…Fuck off.”

Vanitas cackled.

Sora sighed. “We gotta do something about this place though. We can’t let the Heartless endanger the citizens like this.”

“I know right? Look at all that property damage. I bet the city’s insurance companies are having simultaneous conniptions right now,” Van contributed conversationally. Used to the dark-haired boy’s strangely pragmatic yet ultimately unhelpful comments, Sora just stared at him.

Vanitas just stared right back.

“I don’t know where you got the idea that I could do something.”

“You look like you could do something.”

Van rolled his eyes. “Fine,” he replied, before raising his Keyblade and a spark of magic emanated from it. It rose skyward before exploding over them like a huge net, forming a wide covering force field containing the Heartless to their specific area. It would keep the damage to a limited space, and keep citizens out of harm’s way.

“Happy?” Van asked him sarcastically.

“What was that?” Sora asked Van.

“ _Battlefield_. It’s an _Area of Effect_ magic, like _Thunder_ , but instead of dealing damage, it creates a barrier field that can only be dismissed by the caster or by knocking out the caster. It keeps the enemies within a contained area.”

“Cool! Can you teach me how to do that? You _have_ to teach me how to do that!” Sora asked.

“Some other time,” Van turned away from him, his eyes taking on a hungry gleam looking at the Heartless, “right now, we got ourselves bigger prey to hunt.”

“Gotcha!” Sora jumped off of Meow Wow and dove towards the horde, Keyblade in hand and ready to fight.

“OH YEAH! LET’S KICK SOME HEARTLESS ASS, MOTHERFUCKERS!” Vanitas roared.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless horde._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_SUPPORT: Vanitas_

_36 HEARTLESS DEFEATED_

_6% MAP CLEARED_

_LEARNED Stun Impact!_

_LEARNED Gravity Break!_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Sora executed a perfectly timed Stun Impact at the group of Heartless that jumped him, striking one last parrying strike to avoid an ambush and sending a _Blizzard_ spell to get rid of the last Heartless. As the last one disappeared into nothing and Meow Wow and Gaudium flit around gathering Lux, Van’s _Battlefield_ slowly vanished, leaving the area desolate and in ruins. Just across the street from them, Sora could see what used to be an establishment burn in ruins after the fight. He cast a _Watera_ spell towards it to put out the fire.

He walked over to where Van was standing, who was dismissing his group of Unversed. After the long and sudden fight, Sora could feel himself getting tired and hungry.

“I’m hungry. I could go for some pizza right about now,” Sora said.

Van turned towards him, giving him a look. “Pizza?”

“Yeah, pizza. You know,” Sora narrowed his eyes at Van’s uncharacteristic lack of verbose retorts. He looked at his look-alike quizzically. “You do know what pizza is, right?”

“I know what pizza is!” Van snapped at him, “Xehanort ordered boxes of pizza for us to eat during our meetings discussing his grand master plan of being the universe’s Master of Darkness and ultimate savior.”

“Really?!” Sora couldn’t quite believe it. How did Xehanort go about calling for pizza delivery? What _address_ did he even give?

“ _Of course not_ , you dipshit! Xehanort’s too busy stroking his ego and his vessels and plotting his elaborate schemes to order fucking pizza,” Van threw his hands in the air at him, exasperated that his sarcasm flew over Sora.

“Xehanort was _stroking_ you?” Sora looked at him, puzzled. _Of course that’s what he took out of that sentence_ , Vanitas thought.

Van gave Sora a flat unimpressed look. “Pizza, Sora. We’re talking about pizza.”

“Yeah. Okay, I am pretty hungry.”

“I’m just gonna go ahead and say it: this is so weird.”

Sora and Vanitas turned around to look at the source of the third voice. They came upon another figure walking towards them casually, and stopping a few meters away. The boy approaching them was clad in a red suit, a black utilitarian belt around his waist. His blond hair was swept back, and behind his black eye mask were clear blue eyes, looking at them guardedly, but with curiosity. He looked to be around their age; lean, but built, carrying himself with a casual kind of confidence that comes with knowing he could handle his own.

For a quick moment, Sora is assaulted by loose childhood memories, of watching television in his little house in the islands, watching superheroes and _sentai_ rangers in colorful suits fighting the bad guys. The memory is mild and fleeting, and yet the nostalgia that comes with it is calming. Sora felt like he could trust the stranger.

“Whose brilliant idea was it to dress the police in spandex? And in red? I mean, really?” Van asked the stranger.

The stranger bristled at him, waving his arms wildly around him affronted. “This is not spandex, this is my super suit! Honestly, Edna’s gonna tear you a new one, implying she’d use _spandex_ for a super suit.”

“I don’t care, who the fuck are you?” Van parroted back.

In an instant, what was once a few meters distance away from them was reduced to mere feet before them in an instant, revealing the boy’s power: super speed. “My name’s the Crimson Wind, at your service,” the boy, Crimson Wind, bowed to them in jest. Sora’s kinda excited about it – it’s like the guy is the Red Ranger. He even has a color in his name!

“Woah! You’re really fast! Are you like one of those _sentai_ rangers in those TV shows?” Sora asked. The boy chuckled.

“Less of a masked crusader, and more of your friendly neighborhood speedster. But… yeah. I’m one of the resident superheroes of this city. Say, you don’t look familiar. You guys new to this place?”

Sora nodded. “Yep! We just got here actually!”

“And you’ve been busy,” Crimson Wind replied, gesturing to their Keyblades. Sora immediately dismissed his, although Vanitas didn’t.

“The Heartless have been pretty violent. We couldn’t just let it be.”

“Heartless? Is that what you call those dark creatures?” Crimson Wind asked, a tone of open curiosity and surprise taking over his voice.

“Yep. Oh! And you can call me Sora. This one here is Vanitas,” Sora introduced themselves.

“Sora and Vanitas, huh? Pretty short for hero names, and not very telling of your powers,” Crimson Wind pointed out.

“That’s cuz it ain’t our hero names. That’s just our plain names,” Van drawled. The suited figure looked at them in surprise.

“Why would you go out doing hero work saying your _real names_ to strangers? And not even wearing a mask at that!” he remarked.

Sora balked a little at being referred to as a hero. For the past couple of months, travelling partway with Halcyon and continuing with Vanitas, he’s had time to make peace with the fact that he’s basically a travelling amnesiac that had an apprehension with what everyone calls his _destiny_ to be a hero. Right at the start, being a hero was the farthest thing he felt like, but slowly, he’s come to terms that maybe he _could_ be a hero, and a good one at that too, if he believed enough in himself.

He’s still trying to remember the person he was – is – and though he’s missing a huge chunk of his memories still, he’s grown braver and stronger throughout the ordeal, and he’s slowly coming to terms about things he suspects he hasn’t had time to pour a lot of thought into, like the worlds, and what it truly meant to be allied with Light and Darkness, as he and Vanitas were. He’s had time to focus on himself, and where he fits in the huge picture he has apparently eschewed himself in, and where to go from there. He’s sure he’s made a lot of dumb choices, both the ones he remembers and not, but he’s trying to be a better person now.

Whether he’s a hero or not, he doesn’t need a mask to hide his face. He doesn’t need to hide the insecurities and doubts he holds inside himself from the world like it’s a weakness. Being weak, he’s learned, doesn’t eliminate one’s capacity to be strong.

He’s overthinking it, he realized, the guy’s just talking about a _mask_ and _fake names_ , so Sora just gives the blonde superhero a helpless smile.

“We never figured it was an issue before,” Sora shrugged, giving the boy a sort of embarrassed look, “I’m guessing it’s bad to go around this world playing hero without hiding your identity?”

“Of course it is!” the masked hero gawked at them, “ever heard of anonymity? Secret identities? Alter egos? Aliases? _Stranger danger_?”

“Like he said, it was a non-issue previously,” Vanitas waved at him dismissively, “if it’s such a problem, what are you gonna do about it, Mr. Stranger Danger?”

“ _I_ don’t get to do anything, but _she_ does.”

“Who?” Sora asked.

“This world’s –” Crimson Wind’s words cut off as the sound of an approaching vehicle stopped a distance away from them, rumbling along the debris before stopping at a curb. The left door opened and a woman stepped out, dressed in a similar red body fitting suit as Crimson Wind. They watched as the woman talked to the driver and waved him goodbye, before closing the door as the car drove away.

Crimson Wind only gaped at her.

When she got within hearing range of them, the boy sputtered at her. “Oh my _god_ , sis, did you take a frickin’ _Uber_ to a disaster zone?”

~

Vanitas watched as Red Boy and Red Girl squabbled with each other like children, completely ignoring him and Sora. They were arguing about something called _Uber_ , and a bunch of other stuff like civilian involvement, property damage, and insurance and something about _the mayor is going to throw a fit_. Van couldn’t care any less about it all. He dematerialized his Keyblade and turned to Sora.

“You reckon they forgot all about us?” he asked Sora, who was looking at the two of them with wonder.

“He called her ‘sis’, right? You think they’re siblings?” the brunet asked.

“Does it matter?” Van sighed, “wanna give them the slip while they’re distracted?”

“Not so fast!” the red-clad woman snapped, turning her attention to them, “the two of you aren’t going anywhere, not with this mess! Explain yourselves!”

“Uh, yes ma’am!” Sora stood on attention, “we just arrived here and we fought off the Heartless ma’am! They were, uh, getting a lot of stuff destroyed, so we used a barrier to contain them in one place. Sorry for the, uh, property damage?”

Van threw Sora a look. _Ma’am?_ he mouthed at his dubious twin. Sora shrugged, his default expression for not knowing what else to do in his confusion.

“I got here as soon as I could. I saw them cast a force field to contain the villains and minimize damage. I evacuated the civilians since I couldn’t enter the force field. They’re legit heroes, sis,” the blond boy chirped, though Vanitas could tell he _felt_ guarded. Despite the apparent fact that the two were siblings, Van got the impression that the blond, Crimson Wind, was shifting the conversation in a certain direction like he was trying to hide something.

He took note of that and decided to be wary of it.

“I really don’t want to seem like I’m being difficult, but Da – Crimson, this city registered us as it’s designated heroes. What would it look like if the city is saved by a pair of new, unfamiliar, and unregistered heroes? And look at all this!” She gestured around her, “how are we going to explain this?”

“Look,” a weary expression crossed the blond boy’s face for a second, before schooling it back to a confident look, “standing around here isn’t doing us any favors. Tell you what, _I’ll_ deal with these two, and you can focus on dealing with…this,” he said, gesturing to the rubble around them.

The older woman gave him a flat look. “Wow. That sounds like a totally fair division of labor.”

“You’re the one studying in college for dealing with stuff like this,” the boy shot back, “and besides, you get to shmooze with the mayor. I’m offering to deal with them _and_ Auntie Edna.”

“No take backs!” the woman immediately said. Vanitas wondered what kind of person this Edna-creature was that warranted such a reaction. “You sure about dealing with Edna on your own? Not gonna drop me a harried phone call to save you from surprise super suit fittings?”

“Haha, sis, you’re so hilarious,” he replied tonelessly, “can we go now?”

Vanitas detected a hint of an edge to his voice. To anyone, it could have come off as annoyance, but for someone who fed on negative emotions like he did, emotions came to him differently. That particular emotion – ah, yes, apprehension. Vanitas always did thrive on emotions like this.

“Just one more thing,” she replied, before turning to face Vanitas and Sora. She smiled at them, and for a good second, Vanitas took his time to assess her. She was dressed in a somewhat similar suit as the blond boy, but her belt was less bulkier. She had her long black hair tied in a high ponytail, and behind her eye mask were intelligent grey eyes. She was slender in an athletic kind of way, and where her brother’s posture exuded a casual confidence, she stood with a poised kind of grace, like she was light on her feet.

She reminded Vanitas of Aqua for a moment, in the way she carried herself. She was another person Van didn’t want to dwell on, given their past.

“Thank you for protecting the city. You can call me Scarlet Force, and I’m Crimson’s older sister. Welcome to Metroville!

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

**METROVILLE**

**¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨**

~

_QUEST: Follow “Crimson Wind” and defeat the Heartless._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, “Crimson Wind”_

_87 Heartless DEFEATED_

_11% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

After his sister, Scarlet Force, introduced herself and thanked them, it was decided that he and Van would go with Crimson Wind, while Scarlet would deal with the damage to the city with the mayor and his council. The blond boy led them thought the city, certain with leading them around turns and corners, not a faltering step on where to go as they dealt with the errant Heartless that popped up every now and then. He and Sora engaged in casual conversation, with Sora pointing out some establishment or building, and Crimson would give the brunet a satisfactory answer.

Crimson told them that the Heartless wasn’t a new thing; it had been going on for a long while now, but it had been discrete and small incidents, easy enough to deal with and cover up from the public. The huge attack in downtown had been the first large scale attack from the creatures apparently, and he told them that it was worrying him.

“Our parents are out of town, and I doubt me and my sister can keep this world together if things escalate like this. You guys getting here is actually perfect timing.”

Sora had looked sharply at the hero for his words. He said it casually enough to be thrown in a conversation, but it was phrased in a way that had a touch of _knowing more_. Sora glanced at Van and found him with narrowed eyes at the hero.

“Hey, Crimson, where are you taking us?” Sora asked conversationally. “You didn’t really explain earlier.”

“Oh,” the blond boy paused in his steps, turning around to look at them, “like I said earlier, I’m taking you guys to our aunt, Edna Mode.” And like that answered everything, he turned back and resumed walking in front of them. Sora and Van exchanged disbelieving looks at each other, not fully sold on the answer they got.

“She also happens to be this world’s Authority, so,” the hero added, sounding dry and unfaltering in his steps.

Sora tripped on air as Crimson’s words sunk in. “Wait, _what_?!”

“So you know what we are,” Van raised an eyebrow at him. The blond only winked.

“You know what, since you told me your names earlier, I might as well tell you mine. Call me Dash.”

The hero, Dash, smiled at them widely, ignoring the incredulous looks thrown at him for the revelation. “C’mon! If Edna’s in a good mood, she might even get you new clothes that’ll make you look less like you belong in cosplay convention!”

~

“Dah-ling, what did I tell you about showing up unannounced?”

“Hey Aunt E, have I ever mentioned to you how _awesome_ the suit you designed for me was? I’m sure I haven’t told you enough times.”

“Flattery may get you a little bit of clit from the right audience, boy, but offering me praises I’ve already heard a million times before isn’t going to get you anywhere with me.”

“How’s Jack-jack?” Dash powered on, changing the subject.

“In the simulation room, testing out a new combat suit I’m developing. He needs something to occupy him and spend his boundless energy. And who are these creatures with you?”

“These are my new friends, Sora and Vanitas. They just got here.”

“The Keyblade Warriors,” she added.

When Sora first entered Edna Mode’s lavish mansion, he expected to meet someone who was intimidating, tall, and sophisticated; a woman with a fickle and cruelly posh sensibility like Elrena, or someone elegant and poised like Mistress Maleficent, or perhaps someone that looked like a ruler.

In many ways, Edna was exactly all of those, yet she also wasn’t.

Edna Mode did _not_ look like anything he expected her to be. She was short but quick on her feet, her huge round glasses sitting atop her button nose as her eyes raked at his and Van’s appearance, perhaps a little assessing, or even judgmental, but definitely sizing them up. Edna commanded a presence that filled a huge empty room by just walking into it, and her words were blunt but precise, both dismissive and engaging; a little arch, but always on point.

Sora took a glance at Van beside him, and he’s surprised to see that the black-haired teen didn’t look like he was going to be exchanging words with the short woman. He looked assessing, curious, and somewhat cautious. It was the most behaved Van’s been before an Authority.

Under Edna’s scrutiny, Sora couldn’t help but wonder what she saw in them. Did she see a pair of heroes, or did she merely see a pair of boys out of their depth?

The thought kind of scared him. Earlier, Dash told him that Edna was _the_ top designer for superhero costumes, and from interacting with different superheroes and personalities, she possessed a discerning eye for who were true heroes and who weren’t. He can’t quite decide which will make him happier: if Edna sees him as the hero he’s been lead to believe, or if he’s just a boy, continuously stuck in the middle of events he was a willing casualty to.

“It’s been a long while since there had been a Keyblade Warrior to grace this world,” she said quietly. Dash looked at them with a strange expression, perhaps trying to gauge Edna’s reaction. “I was most certain your ilk wouldn’t return since the last time a Foreteller was here, but if the Heartless are growing stronger and you’re here now…”

Her words trailed off, as if she became lost in thought. Her eyes narrowed at Sora before shifting to Van, who met her stare with a defiant look. “Needless to say, what’s past is past. You two are here now, so I suppose I must do with you what I do best. Dash!”

“What?” the boy in question started in attention.

“I want to assess how these two perform. Take them to Room 4. I also want to see how your – how did you put it? – awesome suit performs since the last upgrade.”

Dash groaned loudly. “Auntieeeeeeeeeeeeee…”

“Don’t whine! It’s unbecoming for individuals at your age to do so. Most superheroes would be grateful for a chance to even have their suits custom checked by me, you know,” Edna huffed.

“Um, what’s in Room 4?” Sora asked.

“It offers what most young boys and heroes like you would love to do,” Edna simply replied.

“And that is…?” Van drawled, sounding deceptively casual.

“Why, the chance for you to kick each other’s asses, of course,” Edna’s face broke into a huge excited grin. It was kinda manic, and crazy, how she sounded a lot like Vanitas. Sora isn’t sure if Van’s propensity for violence should mix with Edna’s capability to produce objects of destruction. “I’m sure dah-ling Dash can facilitate you.”

“You mean we get to wipe the floor with blondie over here with permission?” Vanitas sounded excited – for a moment, Van sounded like a normal kid for once. Sora couldn’t help but smile, despite the reason for Van’s excitement. “I’m already loving this city.”

Sora heard Dash begrudgingly turn towards the direction he assumed Room 4 was in, all the while mumbling “I hope Violet realizes the sacrifices I’m willing to make for humanity” and dragging his feet behind him. Sora tugged at Van’s arm so they could follow him, already giddy at the idea of permitted violence.

“Have fun boys. If you play nice, I might be inclined to give you some candy,” Edna said, sounding a little sly.

Belatedly, Sora realized why Dash’s sister, Scarlet Force, opted not to deal with Edna: if it had been her, she probably would have been less inclined to indulge them in a brawl to test their strengths like Dash did. Sora chuckled at the thought.

~

_QUEST: Defeat Dash and clear the obstacle bots in Room 4._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas_

_20 Obstacle Bots DEFEATED_

_Dash DEFEATED_

_12% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~  
Dash narrowly missed an early death thanks to his speedy reaction time, effectively dodging a deadly string of _Dark Firaga_ that Van continuously casted. Sora came in with follow-up support by hurling a _Strike Raid_ in Dash’s direction, which Dash also managed to avoid by a quick low lunge to the ground as the Keyblade ricocheted passed him.

“Dude, I _hate_ you!” Dash hollered.

“Sorry! No harm no foul?” Sora called out.

Van propelled himself into the air and cast multiple _Thunder_ in a small cluster to limit Dash’s movements, the pillars of raw energy giving the speedster a little difficulty to navigate. One of the pillars apparently grazed him, eliciting a small yelp from the blond.

“Asshole!”

“Man up fuckface, and take it as it is!”

“I have a healthy amount of _self preservation_ thank you very much!”

Van closed the distance with a quick succession of powerful strikes, which Dash parried with his hands wearing a gauntlet made of some strong metal alloy. The black-haired teen raised his Keyblade for the initial strike for _Zantetsuken_ , but was countered with a swift kick from Dash to his shin, knocking Van off balance for the move.

Sora lined up for a _Blitz_ , then shifting to Combo Plus with a few parried strikes, then cast Plant at Dash, which completely missed its intended target due to the spell’s slow formation and Dash’s speed. Dash focused his attention on Sora, who made the mistake of allowing the blond to get in close range, which resulted in him being flipped over on his back that knocked his breath away.

Momentarily relieved of Sora, Dash went back to countering Van, who had recovered after his chain of strikes earlier, and by that point it was a battle of stamina rather than strength. When Sora recovered his breath, he sat up and watched Van and Dash still going at it, more of a dance than a fight. He found himself lost in watching before a sharp alarm sound brought him out of it, looking to see that Van and Dash had stopped as well.

Edna strutted inside the room with her clacking heels, looking at them with a satisfied expression.

“A little banged up but ultimately still in tact. Nothing that a little tumble in the laundry wouldn’t fix. I suppose the next upgrade to your suit will have to wait until further incidents prove otherwise, Dash.”

“Your suits can survive the _apocalypse_ and then they can be used again after a nice laundry wash, Auntie. Your suits are perfect,” Dash rolled his eyes at her fondly.

“Perfection is never the goal, dah-ling. Continuous improvement is what we’re all about. Why be stuck with perfect, when you can be _better_?”

“There’s a difference?” Sora quirked.

“Of course. Say you were the perfect superhero. You’d be powerful and everything – but that would mean you were set. Nothing more to offer, nothing new – after all, why add anything if it was already perfect? But striving for continuous progress, for development, for the pursuit of fulfilling your full potential – well, you don’t need to be perfect to be the best, and being the best doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. You just need to be driven towards higher performance, and be willing to sacrifice for it.”

Sora started at Edna’s words. It settled something that had been uneasy inside him for a long time. Maybe he didn’t need to be the perfect warrior, or the best hero, right now. Maybe what he’s doing right now could be enough: he couldn’t regret anything as long as he gave it his best, after all.

“More to the point: I am pleased by the performances you both displayed! Excellent stamina, speed, agility, power, strength, and recovery time, not to mention your mana levels are above average, which I suspect will only continue to improve.”

She turned her attention to Vanitas for her next words. “You, you’re good with the Keyblade and magic casting, but you rely on your summonable familiars when you immediately find yourself out of your depth. It’s a bad habit, and a clear indicator that you could do better. Smarter villains could pick up on a tell like that.” Vanitas flipped her off, but otherwise kept his comments to himself, which Sora knows would have included some choice words.

She then turned to Sora next. “You on the other hand, are obviously struggling. There are moments where your body moves to execute a move, but you seem confused about it, and end up looking like you don’t know what you’re doing before you improvise at the last second. It’s like your mind can’t catch up with your body, or like you knew certain moves but forgot how to do them. Your lack of battle competency is offset by your clear understanding of the field though, and you rely on your intuition and innate instincts to propel you forward, which tells me you’re not that bad a fighter nor your are new to this. What’s wrong with you?”

Sora deflated at some of the things Edna pointed out; his amnesia had apparently interfered with his access to a couple of moves his body had been used to making, and it had been obvious enough for Edna to single that one tidbit out. Still, he gets the feeling that’s as much of a complement Edna’s going to give, so he smiled at her and said his thanks in return, grateful for her constructive criticism.

“Ah, well, it’s sort of a long story –”

Edna sent him a dismissive wave, “I have no time for your long sob stories – you know what’s wrong with you, then fix it. And Dash –”

“– needs more practice. Yes, Auntie, I know I barely kept up with them.”

“I _was going to say_ that your sports club activities and routine hero work has been keeping you in excellent form enough to keep you at least on the same playing field as the Keyblade Warriors, but _sure_ , yes, you could use some _more_ practice.”

Dash huffed an airy laugh, canting his head back and shaking it as he placed his hands on his hips. Sora noted he looked tired but happy, their sparring giving him a good run for practice.

“I suppose I’ll say hello to JJ in Room 7. He’s in there right, Auntie? Still testing your tech?”

“Yes,” the Authority rolled her eyes, “he is inexhaustible when he’s having fun. Go on, I’m sure he’d appreciate a visit from his brother.”

“Oh! Are we going to meet one of your siblings?” Sora asked excitedly.

A complicated expression crossed Dash’s face, before it slid into a familiar smile. “Maybe next time. Besides, I have a feeling Edna has some candy to give out to her new favorite kids,” he replied drily.

“Oh, okay,” Sora tried not to be too disappointed by it, but then again, he supposed that Dash wanted some sibling bonding time with his brother without them. With how he felt about Vanitas, he sort of gets it.

After Dash sauntered out the room no more worse for wear, Edna motioned for the two of them to follow her.

“Follow me. You’ve been good little kiddies, and you deserve some candy.”

~

Sora stared in wonder at the suits before him. On the mannequin before them, the suits were in dark colors – one of them black while the other a dark shade of gray. The black suit had gold linings around the edges where it cut off, twin bands of gold running down the sleeve. An armored shoulder guard of silver and gold was placed on the right shoulder, with a complimentary vambrace running down both forearms.

The gray suit was in the same base suit design, but instead of gold, the suit was decked in bronze and silver, and where the other one had just the right shoulder armor, this one had bronze and silver pauldrons on both shoulders, secured with straps. Both suits had a black utility belt that hung from their hips, and boots that looked sturdier than the ones they were currently wearing.

“Oh my Light, is this…?” Sora asked.

“Hmm, it’s all what I have been able to accomplish after a quick assessment of your abilities. It’s made with the highest quality grade materials that I had in reserve, mind you, and I’ve used them in consideration of how much physical exertion and mana usage you both use as Keyblade Warriors. Celestial Bronze for the gray suit, and Imperial Gold for the black, both using Vibranium as the metal base for your suits’ armor. Both suits have been customized to enhance your performances when worn, designed to be light, aerodynamic, and flexible, making you faster and stronger in fights. Waterproof, tearproof, dustproof, and impervious to stains and or discoloration. The gray suit for the brunet, and the black one to the boy with gold eyes,” Edna trilled off her explanation.

Sora was basically vibrating in excitement for the gift, and he dragged the whole mannequin to an adjacent fitting room to get changed. He missed the amused looks from Edna and Vanitas as he went ahead, completely psyched at the gift.

Vanitas looked at Edna as she shrugged, pulling out a remote from her pocket and pushing button. Before them, the mannequin clicked and exposed its joints, before collapsing on itself into a metal cylinder. The suit pooled into a neat pile on the floor for Vanitas to take, as he made his way to another adjacent fitting room.

He shot Edna one last questioning glance, before the woman waved at him dismissively.  
“You shall have your questions answered after you see your suit’s fit. Go on, I reckon it shouldn’t take you boys too long.”

~

_Sora ACQUIRED Hero Suit Mach Light LVL. 1!_

_Vanitas ACQUIRED Hero Suit Mach Shadow LVL. 1!_

~

“Wow! This suit fits really well! Thanks Edna!”

“Think nothing of it, dah-ling; such caliber of work from me is to be expected. Though with the Heartless infesting this world, I am of the opinion that you’d be staying a while here, no? I expect frequent visits so I can upgrade your suits whenever necessary.”

Sora beamed at Edna while he turned his body one way to the other to look at himself in the mirror. The suit fit him snugly – he expected to be a bit thrown off wearing something so close fitting considering he was used to wearing baggy or loose-fitting clothes, but the super suit hugged Sora’s body quite comfortably without feeling restrictive or looking awkward.

He looked at the bronze pauldrons on his shoulders, sleek and impressive in design, looking like a piece from a knight’s armor. His utility belt hung securely from his hips, containing some of the objects that he normally stuck in his loose pouch before: the gate charms, potions, elixirs, and a few other items. On his left breastplate, there was a small insignia of heart with a crown, to which Edna simply told him to touch if he wished to change outfits instantly, a kind of clothes magic that was woven into the super suit.

 _Like the Good Fairies’ clothes_ , the unbidden thought came to Sora.

Across from him, he saw Van do it, and in a quick flash, Van was back in his original clothing, the only evidence of his super suit being the understated metal and gold shoulder guard on his right shoulder. Van grunted in mild surprise, before touching his shoulder guard again, shifting back to his black super suit.

Van looked very impressed in an understated kind of way, Sora determined from the expression of Van’s face like he was trying to fight off an excited smile. Van looked like he was going to genuinely give his compliments as well, before opening his mouth and smiling in Edna’s direction to say –

“Eh. Could be better. But it’s not too bad, considering how quick you managed to put this together.”

Edna rolled her eyes at him, unfazed by the obvious jab at her. “Just say you’re impressed and you can go, young man.”

“I believe you owe us some fucking answers lady,” Van snarked back, and Sora had a moment to think _ah, so there goes Van’s behaving nicely_ before he turned to look at Edna as well.

The Authority in question pivoted on her heel and beckoned them to follow her. “Don’t be drab. We’re not going to have this conversation here. Get changed back into your civilian wear. We’ll talk in the parlor and talk over snacks.”

~

The gist of it was this: instead of becoming the World’s ruler with her right as the Authority, Edna has decided to let the world grow on its own, and act as its nurturer. She has maintained a life of being constantly in the public eye without compromising her privacy; being able to work as the world’s leading superhero costume designer pulled incredible influence in this world, and despite not being a politician or world leader, in some circles and circumstances, Edna Mode’s words were law. She is a sought-after super suit couturier, both having high scientific and fashion sense, and has thus propelled her to be in league with many superheroes.

In short, the world was Edna’s fucking playground, with all the desirable power and none of the nasty complications that come with being a politician.

She met Bob and Sarah Parr in their earlier years, being the designer of their super suits, and has over the years turned from their suit’s consultant to close family friend. Due to an incident a couple of years ago when the Heartless has managed to find a way in to Metroville – a Sleeping World – it led to an incident where Dash Parr became the only person in the world being privy to the knowledge of Heartless, Keyblade Warriors, and the other Worlds.

There was more to this story, Sora could tell, but it didn’t take a genius to tell that the way Edna glossed over the story meant she wasn’t so keen on telling that story any time soon.

Vanitas and Edna sassed and snarked at each other over tea and biscuits as Sora listened in amusement, content to only chime occasionally if he had a particular question to ask about the world and his newly acquired super suit.

Sora pondered on their current situation as Edna said earlier: Bob and Sarah Parr – Mr. and Mrs. Incredible – were out of the country for a super secret, high-stakes mission, and the only ones left to defend Metroville were Crimson Wind and Scarlet Force; Dash and Violet Parr respectively. Jack-jack, their youngest sibling who was currently being babysat by Edna, was too young for superhero work, so the city’s safety were essentially safeguarded by two under-21 super heroes.

The way Edna said it made Sora ask if it was allowed for superheroes to _be_ superheroes if they weren’t 21 yet, to which the Authority gave him a flat look and replied “don’t think about it too much.”

Sora dropped the topic after seeing the mischievous smile on Van’s face.

The subtle unspoken request was there though: here’s a super suit, so stay and help Dash and Violet drive out the Heartless. It’s not like Sora wouldn’t have offered the help; but if he’s being honest, he might have entertained the thought of staying a while just because of the super suit given to them.  
What? The suits were cool, alright?

“Where would we stay though?” Sora wondered aloud, “I mean, I don’t mean to assume anything but…I can sort of tell you don’t want me and Vanitas around here, poking around, uh, ma’am. You look like you got a lot of stuff you’d rather not have the two of us accidentally mess with.”

“An accurate guess, Sora. You guys are staying with me.”

 

 

Three heads whipped to look at the newcomer striding into the room. Crimson Wind – now Dash Parr sans his super suit – walked towards them in his civilian clothing. He donned on dark jeans and a pair of beat-up chucks, a letterman jacket hugging his lean frame over a crisp white shirt. His hair was down, as opposed to the slicked back hairstyle earlier, dripping a little wet from a shower he must have taken before finding them. Dash absently ran his hands through his hair, brushing his bangs back from his forehead, but it was still a far comparison to Crimson Wind’s look.

Sora noted how Dash looked surprisingly different as a civilian compared to when he was dressed as a superhero; he looked like someone they’d meet on the streets and be friends with.

“You? You got a place of your own?” Van raised an eyebrow at him.

“No one’s at the house with me anyway – Mom and Dad are overseas as Auntie said, Violet has her own place closer to college, and Jack-jack is staying here since I’m too busy with the track team and patrols to take care of him,” Dash shrugged, “I don’t mind if you guys use the den to stay here.”

“Excellent!” Edna clapped her hands in glee. Sora couldn’t help but think that smile on her face had some plans for them already. The Authority continued her spiel. “It will make you taking them with you to school easier if all three of you are coming from the same place. I’ll send the paper work over for you to look at after I finish sending your new transcripts to your school.”

There was a beat of silence before anyone could talk.

“… _What_?”

“ _Excuse me_?”

“What the _fuck_?”

“You’re putting us in _school_? _Together_? Auntie, what are you _thinking_?”

Edna just threw them an amused look and cackled.

~

The memories came in pieces.

Lazy afternoons spent on the back porch of Riku’s family home, he and Kairi sprawled on the floor working on their homework. Beside him sat Riku, studiously reading a textbook on one hand, his other hand occupied by a pen as he wrote absently on a notebook.

There were the rainy days too, where he spent a good majority of the class not listening to the teacher in front, watching the rain outside instead until the bell chimed that it was time to switch rooms, or that classes were finished for the day.

There were happy lunches spent under the shade of a huge oak tree on their school grounds, he and Kairi exchanging _tako_ -shaped hotdogs and _onigiri_ , as Riku shared some of the _karaage_ his mom made for them to share.

He remembers summer at the end of the school year, the _matsuri_ – the summer festivals – and long days at the beach. He remembers early morning alarms and asking for five more minutes, shaved ice, _takoyaki_ , the sound of chalk on the blackboard, scooping for goldfish, the taste of _ramune_ , the soft chiming of the school bell.

It’s a strange set of memories to have, Sora thinks, these memories that are so starkly different from the life he’s lived in the last few years that they may as well have happened to another person from another world. And yet it’s his: from the way he remembers how happy he was when he managed to win a goldfish from the goldfish scooping booth during one of the many summer festivals he went to with Riku and Kairi, to the happy afternoons spent on the beach with Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka. He even remembers the feelings of dread on the end of term exams, studying with Riku, and copying homework from Kairi.

It’s with these memories swirling in his head that he wakes up to the faint din of the alarm in the room he fell asleep in.

 _Right, we’re at Dash’s place_ , Sora recalled.

 

_After protesting (cussing a lot, in Van’s case) about enrolling in school, Edna explained to them her reasons for the idea. One, that Sora and Vanitas needed to be established superheroes in Metroville, and the superhero registry can accept their (forged) public documents and school records as sufficient registry requirements. Two, after their activities are considered legal by the registry, they can actively patrol and act as superheroes for Metroville with Crimson Wind and Scarlet Force, and their presence backed with legal documents and certifications would not cause confusion with the public. And three…_

_“What? Do you expect me to be okay with children being out of school? No, no, no, no, I disapprove. If you’re going to be superheroes, then you might as well_ live _like it and establish an alter ego. Be normal and engage in all that mundane activity that the common masses do.”_

_Vanitas scoffed at Edna’s third point. “Fuck off lady, I don’t need school to occupy me! I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time taking it easy on the worlds we’ve been in, and I couldn’t care less about maintaining an alter ego to keep the fucking denizens from getting their panties in a twist.”_

_The thing is, Sora_ kind _of agrees with Van. Sora wanted more opportunities to improve his combat skills; Clawtooth Mountain was a nice place to stay in to get himself together, and The Moors was like another extended vacation despite getting rid of the Heartless there. Sora was eager for a challenge – he wanted to be helping the worlds like he did in his memories. There wasn’t a need to stay for very long in a world, as long as they helped resolve the problem._

_Unfortunately though, Sora sensed that there was now a consistent trend on their journey: not every world they visited was a quick trip._

_And he knows that Van feels the same way. Too bad, it looks like they’re staying for the long haul again. And with how he feels about school…_

 

Sora shook his head from yesterday’s events. After their meeting with Edna, Dash led them to the Parr residence, where Sora and Van were ushered into the den – the guest room – where they would stay for the foreseeable future. They had pizza for dinner and a post-dinner spar in the backyard, Vanitas releasing some of his frustrations on Sora as a slew of Unversed popped up to mill around. Dash watched them from the patio, a worn out look on his young face, and beckoned them inside after a few rounds because he didn’t want the neighbors to complain about the noise. Van flipped him the bird before stomping back inside. Dash told them they had to wake up early tomorrow, and taught Sora how to set the alarm in their room.

The brunet glanced to the bed adjacent to his, a messy bed of blankets and pillows unmade without its occupant, before he got himself out of bed as well and padded over to the dining room. This was familiar at least: Vanitas more often than not was the first to wake up between the two of them. He remembered Halcyon saying once that Van _always woke at first light_ , except for mornings when they were all exhausted the day before.

Deciding to change clothes as he was told to last night, Sora got into a new set of clothes that Dash had given him the night before; he and Van were given some clothes the blond thought would fit them, claiming it was a change of clothes Edna had gifted them after discovering – to her everlasting horror – that their usual clothes and battle clothes were the same thing. The clothes were “designer” – whatever that meant – clothes made by people called _Guzzi_ or _Louie Viston_ or something. Dash also gave them some of his regular clothes, which Sora sort liked better than the ones Edna gave them.

He changed into a random blue shirt that fit him nicely, that had a bulls-eye design on print, with a star at the center. He decided on the tan-colored pants that was in Edna’s pile, and got a pair of sneakers that Dash had given him, still unused. Satisfied with his current outfit, he made his way to the dining room.

In the dining room, Van perched by the breakfast counter, a few papers in his hands and a constipated look on his face. Dash, on the other hand, was cooking in the kitchen, and after a few flips from the pan, took a huge plate of pancakes to the table for them to eat.

Van wore a sleeveless jacket over a sleeveless white shirt, ripped jeans and a pair of boots. Dash wore a gray polo and dark jeans, his letterman jacket hanging neatly by one of the chairs at the dining table.

“Morning,” Sora yawned, “what’s are you looking at?”

“The new _us_ , apparently,” Van sauntered over to the table and sat down, discarding the papers on the table carelessly. Sora sat beside him and shuffled the papers into a neat pile before he read them over, curious as to what Edna had made of their identities in forging public documents.

As of today, they were now Hikaru Sora and Hikaru Vanitas, 18, twins, and Japanese exchange students from the prestigious Yueii Academy, now in America as part of an exchange program for the two countries. Glossing over the miniscule details like their birthdates and blood type, it was all very standard and formal, not containing much information than what the superhero registry might require of them to provide.

Their falsified transcripts were shown too; Sora chuckled softly at how close his false grades were with his actual grades from Destiny Islands. A look at Van’s records showed that he had decent grades, a few high marks here and there, and Sora wondered where and how Edna got these grades. For fake documents, they were surprisingly accurate on Sora’s part; he’s curious how close to reality Van’s fake grades were.

The thing about the whole school-thing was that Sora wasn’t particularly the best student – he had passable grades, sure, but more often than not, he took make up tests and summer classes for some of the subjects he failed as a child. Even thinking about it now – him in school – is so strange.

He doesn’t hate school – not really – but other than being able to see Kairi and Riku and the rest of his friends, the subjects that the school taught didn’t really hold his interest. Especially now, being out of school for more than a year at least, and he’s already dreading how he’ll do in lessons.

 _I mean, what’s school got to do with being a Keyblade wielder_? Sora thought.

“Okay,” Dash began as he sat opposite them on the table, “today, you’re going to school with me. We’re all in the same grade – high school seniors – so if you got any questions about stuff, you can go ahead and ask me.”

“Dear Light, end me now,” Van mumbled, piling a tall stack of pancakes on his plate. Dash frowned at him, before taking a tall stack of pancakes for himself as well.

“No need to be dramatic. School in Metroville isn’t so bad,” Dash commented.

“Do they have homework and class recitation?” Sora asked, munching on his own stack of pancakes and dribbling a generous amount of maple syrup.

Dash looked at him in surprise. “Well, yeah. Of course they do.”

“Thanks I hate it already,” Sora mumbled to himself. Van heard him and choked on his pancakes, and Dash sent him a curious look.

“Hey, I don’t know how this whole Keyblade Warrior thing is supposed to go – Edna didn’t really tell me much about it – but maybe you guys can use this time to take it slow. Sounds to me that you guys do a lot of traveling to actually take a breather in between,” Dash said, sipping on his glass of orange juice.

“We’ve been taking it slow for the last two worlds we’ve been in, Dash, at _least two months each_!” Sora groaned, “I was sort of hoping for a little more action and excitement.” He heard Vanitas snickering beside him, and he kicked him under the table. Van turned to look at him and glared.  
“And you’ll get your slice of action and excitement,” Dash smiled at him, “but dude, you gotta find something to occupy your time when there’s no action to go to. What did you guys even do in the previous worlds if you weren’t taking out Heartless?”

“Farming and babysitting dinosaurs mostly,” Van answered, “and then swimming and staying out late by the lake, chatting with the mermaids and mandrakes.”

“Babysitting…dinosaurs…? Mermaids? _Mandrakes_???” Dash shook his head, “you know what, that sounds like a really long summer vacation. Maybe being in school really is perfect for you guys right now.”

Sora groaned before a phrase slipped by his lips. “ _Looks like my summer vacation is over_.”

Dash chuckled at him as Van smirked at him. “Don’t be such a baby, Sora. Just think of _all_ the new friends you can make.”

Sora stuck his tongue at him and finished his breakfast. Van may have been sarcastic with his words, but it’s a consolation that he can behind. If he can make new friends at school, it couldn’t possibly be all that bad.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s it!
> 
> Metroville, the world of superheroes! This isn’t really a spoiler, but yes, Metroville is the alternate world of San Fransokyo – the world of superheroes that didn’t make it into the Main Timeline. It was an idea that came to me when I thought about San Fransokyo in KH3, and yet we still didn’t have Incredibles??? Like??? Why??? So I thought why not? Let’s write it.
> 
> This chapter is littered with loads of references too, both Disney and non-Disney, and I’m not even ashamed I wrote those references into it. Did you catch any of the references? Let’s see if you can get them all in the comments below.
> 
> So: Metroville. Teenage Dash Parr is our duo’s partner-in-crime this time, with the rest of the Parr siblings aged up. I wrote the parents out of the picture because I wanted the Parr sibs to grow with Sora and Van in the fic, so I kinda had to write them out. They’ll be back in the end tho lol. Edna is a gift to the world, and though I took a lot of liberties into writing her as close to her character as I could, as she is an Authority in this fic, I also had to modify her character.
> 
> Sora's past was also fun to write; I always did love the idea that they grew up in the islands with Japanese culture - the summer festivals and the food and the fluff of SoRiKai going to school together is just - I can't NOT write it some point okay? I had to. hahahahah
> 
> Also, if it wasn’t obvious, writing a school fic of Sora and Vanitas is *sort of* a goal here, so. Let me indulge myself in writing them in a school setting and living life like normal kids in the city. I am set on this hahahaha
> 
> All that aside, what do you guys think of the chapter? Let’s talk!


	13. Chapter 8 - This is it (The apocalypse)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora and Vanitas see how things can be so good one moment then so bad the next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh? An actual chapter update 2 weeks after the last one? A miracle?
> 
> Nah. This chapter was actually halfway done through the upload of Metroville's first chapter, and since I felt compelled to follow up that extensively long world-intro chapter weeks back for Metroville, I somehow felt a nice plot-driven chapter that focused on Sora and Van interacting with the world would be good.
> 
> Hence, why I'm updating this soon. Also, because the licensure exam will be held in January, I will be swamped with studying in the next months in preparation for it, so I'll be lucky if I manage to even update once until December. If my schedule presses me, the next update after this might be next year. Sorry!
> 
> Anyways, this chapter comes with both pencil and inked art, and I even updated the last chapter with their corresponding artwork done by me! This chapter was extremely long at 10k words, and it still feels lacking. I'll probably edit this sometime in the future - I was just too excited to post this that I foregone my usual nitpicky editing.
> 
> Well, this one's a long read, so carry on!

  _“Did you find him? Is he okay?”_

_“He’s okay. But he’s also…not alone.”_

_“That’s a good thing…right?”_

_“I’m not entirely sure, considering who he’s with.”_

_“Who’s with him? And where are they?”_

_“The Sector of Singularities. It’s a strange sort of sub-dimension in the Realm of Sleep. I read about it in the book that new Dandelion leaders get from the Foretellers.”_

_“Is he with someone we know?”_

_“…Yes. He’s…connected to Sora in the same way we are to him.”_

_“…!”_

_“You don’t mean…him? Really?”_

_“Seriously?”_

_“Alright, who’s gonna tell Riku about what we found about Sora?”_

_Predictably, nobody volunteered, and only looked pointedly at Roxas._

_“Fuck all of you. I hate everyone in this room.”_

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless and get to school before the timer runs out._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Dash_

_146 Heartless DEFEATED_

_22% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

They were late for school.

Dash cursed his luck this morning: just as they were about halfway on the drive to school, a horde of Heartless decided to terrorize the business district, and so they had to make a little detour as Violet was busy taking care of a robbery downtown. The three of them, Dash, Sora and Vanitas, got in their suits quickly and took care of the situation in almost no time at all.

What ate their time was the traffic that the incident caused, and since they were late, Dash had to circle the parking lot for an available space to park. Sora also ruined his casual clothes earlier, and had to change into the spare clothes Dash kept in his car. The three of them managed to shuffle into the admin office a good hour and a half late after the first class began, to which the secretary gave them the stink eye.

Vanitas glared back at her darkly and managed to earn a flinch from the stuck up woman, to which Dash secretly took pleasure in. That woman always gave him a hard time by giving him tardy slips whenever he was late because of unexpected hero patrols in the morning.

By the time they managed to get things fully sorted out with their schedules and talking to the principal, it was already nearing third period – History – a class all three of them shared, Dash having insisted they all get their classes together except for the AP classes they each took.

 _(Sora was surprised he was in AP Social Studies of all things – much less an_ Advanced Placement class _– as he remarked about not being particularly doing well in school previously. Vanitas glared at his schedule saying he had AP Physics and AP World Literature, though Dash had a feeling he was hate-glaring at normal Home Economics subject rather than the AP classes. Dash was in the same AP Physics and AP Social Studies as them, which was, all things considered, a minor miracle.)_

When they found the room that History was in, they were already three minutes late.

“Mr. Parr,” the History teacher, Mr. Reed, raised an eyebrow at them as they opened the door to enter, “how nice of you to join us.”

Dash wordlessly handed him the slip from the principal, explaining the situation, and then beckoned Sora and Vanitas to enter the room. As soon as the two strode to the front of the class, everybody in the classroom sat up straighter in attention, curiosity effectively piqued.

 _Oh god, the rumor mill’s gonna have a field day with this_ , Dash thought as he sauntered over to his seat, taking note of the two vacant chairs beside him in the mostly vacant line of seats closest to the window. Those line of seats were too hot in the morning since they were facing the east for their morning classes, so no one liked to occupy it. Seems like he’ll be seatmates with the twins then.

“Alright class, we got two new transfer students this year. Go on and introduce yourselves,” Mr. Reed prompted them.

“Right! Hey guys! My name’s Sora, nice to meet you all!”

“The name’s Vanitas. Don’t fuck with me and I won’t fuck with you. Got it?”

Dash groaned and dropped his head into his hands. He’s starting to think Edna enrolled those two in the same school as him so they could provide more entertainment for her the next time they meet and she asks about them.

That sounds like something she would do – _that woman_.

 

 

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless in Metroville plaza._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Dash_

_178 Heartless DEFEATED_

_29% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~  
Sora was staring out the window in boredom. It was only the third day of school, and he was already feeling his attention in classes fleeting as soon as the teacher in front started his lecture. World History wasn’t as boring as he thought it would be – he recognizes some of the places mentioned both in the textbooks and the lecture – but it’s still a bore.

“Started by Bishop Maurice de Sully, this cathedral is one of the oldest Gothic churches in France. It holds some of the world’s oldest stained glass windows, installed in the cathedral during a time when the production of glass had been a tedious job. Can anybody tell me what this famous structure is called?”

Most of the bored class refused to meet Mr. Reed’s eyes, trying not to get called out. Sora, on the other hand, stirred at the question, a familiar set of memories coming to mind. He raises his hand before he could second guess himself.

“Yes?”

“Uh, Notre Dame? That’s the one with the circle windows and all the gargoyles, right?”

“Rose windows, and yes, that is correct. Most Gothic churches in France share those design features, with Notre Dame being the most well-known. You seem familiar with it,” Mr. Reed threw him an appraising look.

“I’ve been there once, with Donald and Goofy – uh, my uncles. We were there for the Festival of Fools.”

“Oh! Yes, well, I’ve heard of the festival,” Mr. Reed’s attention was now focused on Sora, his voice taking on a curious quality, “it’s quite the celebration, from what I’ve read.”

“Yeah! It’s loads of fun, mister! There’s a lot of singing and dancing in the streets, and lots of people come out all dressed up! I even made a friend there, and she taught me how to dance in the streets!”

“ _Oh_?” From behind him, Vanitas turned his attention to the conversation, “Is this Esmeralda? The _gypsy_?”

The moment Van involved himself in the conversation, and with that particular comment delivered with such an intriguing tone, the entire class was invested. Sora didn’t seem to notice though, not even the slightly concerned look on Dash’s face.

“Yep!” Sora chirped, “Although she called her people by another name. _Romani_ , I think. I helped her with some trouble from the uh, law enforcement, and we hit it off, so she took me to her troupe’s place and introduced me to everyone. And then she taught me how to dance like a gypsy!”

“Did she now,” Van drawled, his voice dripping with not-so-innocent implication. The whole class, even the teacher, was captivated and interested to hear more.

“Yeah! And then she took me to meet her friend, Quasimodo, who lived in Notre Dame. He’s the guy who helps keep the place. And man, that church is huge! I don’t even know how one guy can do it all! Lots of gargoyles to dust, and all those tall windows! Anyways, everything about that place was really detailed. Even the doors were sculpted. And the arches! Man, everything was so grand. Esmeralda even told me a little about those huge column things outside the church? I think they were called flying buttresses, because instead of being part of the building, they were constructed as a sort of external support for the building. They kinda looked like wings! And then…”

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless in Metroville central business district._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Dash_

_217 Heartless DEFEATED_

_32% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

Mrs. Crowley blinked at the finished equations written on the board.

She had called on the new student, Vanitas, to come to the board to solve one of the problems on their worksheets when she saw he was merely _sleeping_ at this desk. When she barked his name and told him to answer on the board, she had expected a rude remark or a sarcastic comment from the boy, learning from the other teachers in the staff room about the boy’s rude behavior, but was surprised when the boy merely rolled his eyes, grabbed his worksheet and a calculator, and proceeded to the board.

She had expected the boy to balk at the task, and simply stare at the board in cluelessness and give up in five minutes before he actually wrote anything. Forget that this was an AP class, the boy simply didn’t look _driven_ enough to try in class.

However, in less than fifteen minutes, the dark-haired boy solved all the problems in the worksheet. And he got all of them right, too.

“Uh, yes, well, thank you Mr. Hikaru, it seems you’ve…already had quite the grasp of the material.”

“None of that mister-shit, lady,” Van grumbled on his way back to his seat, “just call me Vanitas like all the other losers do. And yes, I know this stuff. I read the lecture about it last night, _god_ , now let me fucking _sleep_ , woman.”

The class, who had at most only been halfway solving the second problem, gaped at the delinquent as he ignored them, and burrowed his head on the desk to go back to sleep. Dash looked torn between looking amused and horrified.

 _I suppose I brought that upon myself. He_ is _in an AP class after all,_ Mrs. Crowley thought to herself.

~

_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless in downtown Metroville._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Dash_

_249 Heartless DEFEATED_

_37% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

_LEARNED Ars Arcanum!_

_> Continue                               Save_

~

**_UNLOCKED Metroville Challenge Nodes!_ **

_< Raise your level and unlock materials by getting rid of the Heartless and apprehending villains all throughout the city!>_

_Select difficulty:_

_Novice_  
Advanced  
Intermediate  
Expert  
>Proud  
Critical  
Insanity

~

After two weeks rolled around, everybody has heard and seen of the new students in Metroville High.

In those two weeks, the students have come to a unanimous conclusion: Hikaru Sora is a being made of sunshine and all of life’s good things, and Hikaru Vanitas is his mysterious and crass twin brother who may or may not have managed to escape prison at some point.

Dash couldn’t _even_.

At lunch on their first day, Dash decided to skip sitting by his usual table of sports jocks and cheerleaders and grabbed a table with Sora and Van to eat and explain more things to them about high school of all things. Sora recounted his memories about school as a child, and Van interjected with his snide comments remarking how surprising it was that Sora even had school experience.

The entire lunch period was spent with Dash laughing at every story Sora shared: like Donald and Goofy acting like Sora’s second pair of parents, getting high on berries at Clawtooth Mountain, herding dinosaurs with Halcyon and Van, and playing beach volleyball by the water hole with the nymphs and fairies at The Moors.

Dash noticed how Van had very few happy stories to tell, if any at all, to which when Dash commented on, Van had merely replied “I didn’t have a very happy childhood” and left it at that.

After the public display of having lunch together, that first week was spent fielding questions from his usual clique about the new kids; the cheerleaders were particularly curious about them. He told his friends at the usual table over lunch on Wednesday that they were family friends, and that they were in Metroville because of school stuff, and if they were curious, they could ask the two boys their questions themselves.

Apparently, they had – judging with how much new information they were gossiping about the next day.

In class, Sora was surprisingly adept at Social Studies and History. He talked about France, China, and the African savannahs like he had been there himself, and knowing the part about Sora’s life as a travelling Keyblade Warrior, Dash had no doubt that Sora probably _had been_ to those places.

In those subjects, sometimes half the class would be spent listening to Sora recounting his stories of these places none of them had been to: they listened to him describe the Big Ben, participating in the Festival of Fools in Paris, make comments about the Imperial Palace in China, and explain how being in a different place with different customs and practices and terrains was both jarring and fantastic – even their teachers stopped the discussion and opted not to scold him for disrupting class, just to listen to the new kid light up the entire room with his hilariously entertaining and educational anecdotes.

The teacher, or sometimes even Vanitas, would contribute to the stories, explaining why things were this way and that way (Van telling stuff with a scoff or patronizing tone), and Sora would beam at them and continue on as if their input was something that was part of the story. Not all of Sora’s stories had educational value in them, but it definitely had entertainment value with how much attention he got from everyone to actually pay attention in class, so Dash supposed that was the reason why half the time the teachers didn’t mind letting Sora ramble on in class.

Sora had a way of capturing people’s hearts in this innocently endearing way, that although he didn’t do well in academics per se, the teachers – even the grumpy ones that Dash disliked – liked the cheery brunet enough to be lenient with him.

Vanitas snickered at the fact and called Sora a teacher’s pet. Sora frowned at him and stole his pizza for lunch that day.

Vanitas, on the other hand, was the stark opposite of Sora. He walked the halls with a devil-may-care attitude, glared at anyone who looked at him the wrong way, and scared half the student body with his resting bitch face by the end of the first week.

He wore leather or denim jackets to school, didn’t talk to anyone other than Sora and Dash, talked back at the teachers, cursed, cussed, and exuded rude behavior towards everyone except a select few, and was generally labelled the school delinquent. He smirked at anyone who threw him appreciative looks, and whenever he did talk to anyone, he left the person a fumbling mess, even if he was only casually talking to them.

If Sora was a cuddly puppy that everyone wanted to pet, Vanitas was the rabid dog no one really wanted to mess with.

~

Dash went downstairs to get himself a glass of water after waking up from exhausted sleep past midnight. It had been a tiring day – after class let out, he, Sora, and Vanitas found themselves back in the plaza taking out another horde of Heartless. It had mostly been Shadow Heartless that were easy to take out, but the sheer number they had to exterminate left them exhausted and ready to drop on their feet.

As he neared the dining room, he heard a pair of voices talking softly, making out the words after a few steps closer.

“I just…so I have to use four formulas for this problem?”

“Technically, just three. The fourth one has a constant value that you can find on this table here” – a shuffling of papers could be heard “that you could easily solve by substituting their values. Now, there, you got the answer to that. Now you use the answer from that equation so you could use this formula, now that you’ve determined two out three of the unknown figures that you need to equate it.”

“Then after this, I use the answer I got and do, uh, substitution for this equation? And then I do the same for the last one?”

“Pretty much.”

The sound of shuffling papers and pens scratching on paper followed. Dash stood in the shadows, not quite certain why he didn’t just enter the dining room and opted to eavesdrop on them. A few moments later, the sound of writing stopped.

“Huh. Well, what do you know. You got it right this time. Old dog, new tricks and all that shit.”

“Really? All right!”

“Don’t fucking celebrate just yet, dipshit, you have nine more of these problems to solve.”

“Aww…”

Dash chose this moment to make his entrance. The sight of the twins studying, the surface of the dining table covered in worksheets and notes, Sora’s mussed up hair and Van’s lazy golden stare, sent him a nostalgic feeling. He remembers when Violet used to help him with his homework back then, when they were younger. He wonders for a moment if he could be like this for Jack-jack, too.

“Hey. Woke up, huh? I think all of us dropped off to bed before we could even get dinner with how tired we were,” Sora grinned at him, “there’s pizza by the counter. We were too tired to cook.”

“That’s,” Dash felt his stomach grumble at the reminder that he skipped dinner, “yeah, I could eat.”

“Think you can squeeze in a little bit of time to tutor me? Van’s teaching me trigonometry, but he isn’t good with history.”

“Fuck you. See if I ever try to tutor you again.”

Dash takes one more look at the twins before making for the box of pizza by the counter. He smiles.

“Sure. World History, right?”

Sora beams at him, and the brunet doesn’t quite see the way Van’s lips quirk upwards, his expression exasperated but fond. But Dash sees it, and he thinks that Van might not be as unfeeling or unkind as everyone thinks he made himself to be, not if he can look like that.

~

But Vanitas was also a walking contradiction of his label, Dash discovered. As early as the second week, just as poorly as Sora did in academics, Vanitas showed how _smart_ he was. He solved the AP Physics problem sets on the board like half the class wasn’t struggling to solve one equation in the span he solved six of them, he got perfect scores on the surprise pop quizzes the teachers gave the class, and every time he was called over in class for not listening when he was asked a question, he would answer the question, with as many of the word ‘ _fuck’_ and its variants in his sentences; his answers full, correct, and delivered with that lazy and offhand confidence that stunned the class whenever he spoke.

And despite his bad boy reputation, he was a hit in _Home Economics_. Dash knew that Sora could cook, but stumbling upon the knowledge that Vanitas could cook and bake – _and be so goddamn good at it too_ – had apparently sent the school’s rumor mill to ascend in utter insanity regaling proof that Vanitas really was Sora’s twin, or that prison had a mean cooking class. The only person that Vanitas had taken the effort to be soft spoken and polite to was their sixty-year-old teacher in the said subject.

Dash told Sora that it was cute, but the brunet simply smiled sadly. “I think he’s just predisposed to be a little more respectful towards the elderly. His former Master, Xehanort…he wasn’t…the best influence, but well…um. Anyway, don’t worry about it! We’re okay now. And anyways, Van looks like he sincerely likes Mrs. Carson!”

There’s dark, tragic story there, and Dash has the delicacy to not press further about it.  
That aside, needless to say, because how well he performed in class and at being “ _an absolutely charming young man_ ” Vanitas was, the grandmotherly Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Carson, obviously treated Van as her favorite.

Sora teased him for it, and Van kicked his ass in their sparring matches that night in retaliation to defend his reputation as a stone-cold asshole. Dash only shook his head to himself; Van can’t fool them now, they know he’s a secret softie beneath all that swearing and fronting.

~

During lunch, Sora would sit at a different table every day, spreading good cheer and making friends left and right with everyone, while Vanitas disappeared off to who knows where, only to reappear by their side in time for the next class. During the second week, Sora was scouted by multiple sports clubs after discovering how athletic he was after some people in their PE class remarked how fit he was. A few clubs even braved to ask Vanitas.

Sora joined the soccer club, and Van, to his surprise, joined the basketball team. When Dash asked him why he didn’t choose the more violent contact sport of football, Van wrinkled his nose and said something about not wanting to hang with guys that remind him too much of Terra. He and Sora only exchanged equally confused looks.

~

_UNLOCKED Shokugeki No Sora (or Vanitas) MINIGAME!_

_< Choose between Sora or Vanitas in making pastries and materials in the Home Economics classroom!>_

~

_UNLOCKED Sora Chronicles: Soccer MINIGAME!_

_< Playing as Sora, knock out as many Shadow Heartless popping up on the field as you score goals to win the game!>_

~

_UNLOCKED The Basketball that Vanitas Plays MINIGAME!_

_< Playing as Vanitas, crush as many Shadow Heartless that pop up near the opponent’s basket by scoring as many points as you can!>_

~

_UNLOCKED Rumor Has It MINIGAME!_

_< Complete the sets of rumors that circulate around school about Sora and Vanitas from willing students to unlock crafting materials!>_

~

To summarize, it was an experience attending school with Vanitas and Sora. He suspects the entire school is absolutely obsessed with the two of them like they’re the new Kardashians or something, and Dash has also come to the conclusion that he became the twins’ unofficial keeper, whenever someone wanted to ask about Sora, or needed to find Vanitas for whatever reason.

It’s been a good solid two weeks.

It’s probably why during the third week of relative peace, things go to shit.

 _Really_ go to _shit_.

~

Sora had free period when Dash and Van found him.

“Violet called in for backup,” Dash muttered in a low voice only the three of them could hear. “Central business district. _Now_.”

~

As they got changed into their super suits in the empty locker room, the school’s PA system rumbled to life.

“ _Attention students…_ ”

~

Once they snuck out of school through the back as discretely as they could with school letting out early for some reason over the school announcements, the three of them took off in the direction of the business district.

~

A distance away, Sora pointed out the dark cloud above the city, expressing his worry that this meant a huge group of Heartless. Dash merely nodded in acknowledgement, and sped up.

~

A few blocks away and Sora realized he was wrong. They weren’t dark clouds.

It was _smoke_.

And then he saw the fire.

~

It was a disaster.

Two of the high rise buildings that had once stood tall past thirty stories now lay wasted all around, steel and concrete and glass forming a disastrous maze of debris that littered the streets. Some of the lower establishments looked ransacked, display windows shattered, and destroyed merchandise were everywhere. Lamp posts stood bent at severe angles, if not altogether crushed on the pavement.  
It was just past noon, but the sky glowed orange against the darkening sky of ashy black. There was fire and smoke everywhere, ash and trash fluttering in the wind. Cars and trucks were left abandoned haphazardly, some of them missing their drivers, and some of them containing drivers that were…

The worst thing about it all were the screams.

Sora heard people crying for help, crying from pain, and the worst were the random cries of children from underneath the debris.

He’s never seen this kind of damage before – this level of devastation that made him dizzy with panic and anxiety and despair that made him want to vomit.

Dash had sprinted ahead of them, already helping civilian evacuation. In the distance, he could hear the telltale signs of fighting.

Beside him, Vanitas shuddered, holding himself from doubling over.

“Sora,” Van’s voice strained, “calm down. You’re too upset. Your negative emotions are fucking with me. We’re connected, remember?”

“I-I’m…” Sora croaked.

“Fucking pull yourself together,” Van hissed, “we got to find the Heartless and contain the damage. Then we can deal with…all of this after.”

“…Right.”

 

 

~

**_WARNING: Level of difficulty for Boss Battles beyond this point in <Metroville> is set on CRITICAL mode. Non-boss battles shall revert to chosen game difficulty._ **

 

_Raise level and collect materials from Challenge nodes_

_Go to the Moogle Shop_

_> Continue_

  
_QUEST: Defeat the Heartless in downtown Metroville._

_MAIN DPS: Sora_

_Support: Vanitas, Dash, Violet_

_467 Heartless DEFEATED_

_3 Heartless BossDEFEATED_

_48% Metroville MAP CLEARED_

 

_LEARNED Critical Plus!_

_LEARNED Sonic Blade!_

_LEARNED Aerial Sweep!_

_LEARNED Hurricane Blast!_

_UNLOCKED Void Rage Form!_

_Continue >Save_

~

 

 

The entire battle lasted three waves in six hours.

Sora switched out of his super suit midway during the fight – the battle had been difficult, and the suit took most of the damage for him. Out of his periphery, he noticed Van in the same situation, his default leather jacket gray with soot. Sora’s scarf fluttered behind him, the sole bright color in the otherwise dreary landscape.

After each Heartless boss was defeated, there were periods of brief respite when they could focus on evacuation, before leaving again to fight the new horde of Heartless after a new batch emerged.

After the last of the Heartless hordes had been subdued, Van had collapsed his _Area of Effect_ spell, having ran out of stamina. Sora trudged over to where Dash and Scarlet Force – Violet Parr, he assumed – were talking with grim expressions on their faces.

“There are already a hundred civilian fatalities, and the casualty count has broken five hundred, and both counts are still rising,” the woman said tiredly, a hand held to an earpiece on her left ear, “this is worse than the damage Syndrome caused all those years ago.”

“The first responders are already on scene, sis, with more help coming from the hospital the next city over,” Dash replied, his hand on his phone. Absently, Sora could see Edna Mode’s contact on the screen.

“God, this is…”

“Fucking shit, is what it is.”

Van limped over to where they were, an army of fading Unversed trailing behind him. He looked absolutely tired as hell, and Sora’s sure he looks the same. Van’s leather jacket was tied around his waist, and his blue scarf was tied around his left bicep, stained dark.

“ _Vanitas_! You’re hurt!” Sora’s distressed voice made the dark-haired boy wince, before he waved his free hand at him dismissively before Sora could use magic.

“Don’t bother. It was a temporary fix earlier. I’ve already drank a potion. Save your energy and use _Cure_ on someone who actually needs it.”

“You need to get checked,” Dash threw him a serious look, broking no argument.

Slowly, the horde of Unversed dissipated from behind Vanitas, fading back into the boy. Van tossed Sora a raised eyebrow, the dark-haired boy’s form of concern.

“I’m gonna go help with the healers,” Sora mumbled.

~

“Da - Crimson!”

Sora saw Dash’s face morph in surprise then livid horror before he tore off for the source of the voice.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!?!”

A young boy with copper-colored hair ran towards them, exhaustion bearing down on his small figure. He wore a loose white shirt streaked gray with dust and debris and a pair of dark shorts, and he wore a black eye mask similar to the ones Dash and Violet wore. Sora’s heart hurt for the boy; he looked absolutely ragged.

“A-Auntie Edna called in for back up. I-I came with uncle Frozone, but I-I can’t fight. I’m t-too young, and A-Auntie said I could help with the evacuated civilians as long as I s-stayed away from the fight.”

“Jack-jack,” Dash hissed, “this is no place for a seven-year-old! What was Edna thinking?”

“I wanted to come!” the boy answered, “I’m young, not stupid. I want to help with this!”

“And have you?” Dash’s voice sounded harsh and weary. Sora winced at the blond’s detached tone. “Have you managed to help anyone at all? Has any of your many superpowers actually helped anyone in this situation?”

The boy looked near tears. “No. I’ve just been handing out water bottles to people and helping patch up some of the injured. I…don’t need my powers for any of that. I don’t need my powers for the help I’m giving.”

“Honestly kid, you’re an idiot,” Van snorted, “you’re brother’s right. This isn’t a place for you to poke your nose into. Leave this to the people who can actually do something relevant, and go home.”

“I’m not going home! I want to help! I’m part of this family too!”

“And I’m saying you’re useless. You said it yourself: apparently, despite having loads of hotshit superpowers, you only got what? Relegated to doing menial tasks that anyone can do? You’re not helping, and your being a burden. Go. Home.” Despite his exhausted state, Van was full on sneering, playing the role of the villain as he nudged Dash to the side.

“Vanitas,” Sora scolded the dark-haired boy, but his voice came out strained and tired.

Jack-jack scowled at Van. “Who are you supposed to be? You can’t tell me what –”

“He’s right, JJ,” Dash sighed, “you’re a kid in a disaster zone. You’re a liability, and you can still get hurt here. This is no place for a kid. You’re not a superhero. Not yet, at least. Go home. I’ll talk to Auntie Edna after this is over.”

Without another word, Dash turned and walked away, leaving his younger brother behind. Sora watched as the blond’s stiff shoulders braced for the onslaught of people flocking to him, reporters and cameras going off the moment they spotted him. The hastily erected white tents that tended to the casualties of the Heartless attacks separated them from the commotion, and Sora could faintly hear the cameras go off as Crimson Wind gave his account of the incident to the media, his voice ringing confident and his posture straight and practiced.

He can’t imagine himself doing the same, if he were in Dash’s shoes, dealing with the attention as well as the grief that comes with a tragedy like this.

“Go,” Van prodded him, “go and take care of all the wounded losers. I’ll get the kid sorted.”

“Are you sure?” Sora wasn’t certain if it was a good idea to leave Van with Jack-jack, or with any children, to be honest. Van may be not be a villain, but Sora knows exactly how antagonistic the dark-haired boy could be.

“You’re the only one here who knows how to Cure. And trust me, the last thing the wounded need to hear and see is me.”

Sora nodded once, and decided he’d trust Van with Jack-jack. They’ll all meet up together later anyways, and right now, Metroville needs their heroes.

~

Van walked alongside the tiny child he saddled himself with. It had been an impulse decision on his part, telling Sora he’d deal with the kid, but it’s not out of concern he’s volunteered to do it. It was just morbid curiosity. This boy has inferiority issues he could sense a mile away – the kid’s negativity is a good source to replenish his darkness for passive recovery.

“How a child so young as you desires to be part of the battlefield at your age, I don’t understand. Surely, you knew you couldn’t do anything that would’ve contributed that greatly,” he drawled, “after all, they say the sword is only as impressive as its wielder.”

“Shut up. And stop following me,” the boy replied, though he did sound tired. Anytime now, Van expected the kid to drop on his feet from exhaustion, but he’s surprised the kid held strong, still handing out water bottles and bandages to the wounded and attending first aid responders, giving them a childish smile and empty words of positivity.

“I don’t really comprehend what you get out of this.”

“I want to help. I’m a hero too. It’s…what my family does.”

“And are you? A hero?”

“Of course I am!”

“Huh. I don’t know. Way I see it, you’re doing this just to help yourself.”

Mini Red rounded on him. “What are you talking about?”

It’s a strange realization, Van realized, to find a tiny bit of semblance of himself in the kid. Years ago, Xehanort had split him in two, one of light and one of darkness, effectively separating “Ventus” from “Vanitas”. He was a creature of darkness that served his master, a tool to be used to create the x-blade. It didn’t succeed, obviously.

He didn’t really hate Ventus.

Oh yes, he enjoyed antagonizing the guy – the blond was so infuriatingly weak-willed and relied heavily on that close-minded Aqua and that bastard Terra, and it grated on his nerves so badly how Ventus rejected him, even when knowing they were the same person once before. But more than the x-blade, more than gaining Xehanort’s approval, he’s always wanted one thing: to be whole, to be part of the bigger picture.

To not be the broken piece cast aside.

He isn’t jealous of Ventus and his friends, but he’s jealous that Ventus gets to be his own person, while he gets to be his evil shadow. Nobody really wanted him around, and the only company he’s had for so long was the pain and negativity he’s been born with. He probably wished so bad for company his emotions manifested into corporeal beings in the form of the Unversed, and he didn’t mind that they came from his pain, because feeling pain meant he was alive.

Pain was all he had in order to tell himself he was alive.

So he antagonized Eraqus’ students, fought tooth-and-nail with Ventus, threw himself into the wiles of battle and adrenaline, and played the part of the villain to its ultimate end, not because Xehanort ordered him to, but because –

Because it was the only way he knew he could be with Ventus – to be the contrasting Darkness to his Light. And it’s fucked up, he knows, that he’d rather play the villain if it meant staying in the picture.

He remembered the raw confession he told Sora once, all those months ago in Traverse Town.

_"You and Ventus were the closest people I could call my own, even if you rejected me every time. It was a little satisfying though, thinking of you in the context like you were my brothers.  Annoying, stupid, foolhardy, reckless, and dumbass brothers, but...I'd take it. I made my choice, really, for both our sakes, to at least keep the balance by choosing the darkness._

_"So if I lost my Keyblade, what would I be? I'd be just another dark creature looking for validation and power from somewhere or someone else. I'd continue to pine and crave for the very things I couldn't have, chasing after Ventus. Chasing after you. And at the end of my journey I would fade back into the dark abyss with none the wiser or concerned. Unlike you lot, no one would look for me or miss me."_

Mini Red – Jack-jack – is doing the same. He’s young and naïve, but he probably didn’t really think about helping people when he got here initially. It’s not hard to figure out, that he wanted to play the part of the superhero today, if it meant he could be closer to his older siblings. He’s a little like Ventus too, in that regard, in the way he tries to push himself so hard to catch up with Aqua and Terra.

It’s such a kid’s mindset, really. They were both too simple and direct, their motivations stained by youth.

And then Mini Red’s found himself out of his depth, faced with this level of disaster in the city, and being dismissed by his brother. And man, that stings, to be rejected by someone you wanted to be a part of. He doesn’t understand what family actually means, but maybe, if it’s a feeling like wanting to be with Ventus, to be included and not forgotten, maybe he gets the idea.

He didn’t hate Ventus. But that level of obsession to be one with him? Beyond love and hate, it was an aching void he just wished to fill. To be whole, to belong.

“You’re not a fucking superhero, so stop trying. You’re just a kid with a few shit tricks up your sleeves. Your brother and sister don’t even need you to be here. And you don’t really want to help these people, you just want them to acknowledge you. You just don’t want to feel left out.”

“Shut up! Shut up! You don’t even know anything!” the child yelled at him.

“And yet, I’m not wrong am I?” Mini Red glared at him. “Look kid, I get it. You’re probably jealous of your brother and sister for getting all the attention and the power. You’re probably even insecure about your superhero parents – I mean, from where I’m standing, you’re the only one who isn’t in the hero business in the family, despite all that potential. But have you ever thought that maybe it’s not because you’re young, but it’s because you’re just. Not. Cut. Out. For. It?”

“No! You’re wrong! Stop saying that!” the child yelled at him, tears in his eyes.

“You are your own person,” Vanitas found himself saying, “so stop trying to fit yourself into the mold of the superhero family you’ve deluded yourself into believing you need to be a part of, because the more you struggle to push yourselves together, the more they’re going to reject you. Just look at what happened earlier with Dash. He doesn’t even want you here!”

“Shut up shut up SHUT UP! GO AWAY!” Mini Red ignited himself in flames before shifting back to normal, and without a backward glance, the child ran away from him, the bag of water bottles and bandages abandoned on the ground.

~

The night sky was still awash with an orange glow from fires yet to be put out, and the smoke has made it impossible to see the moon or stars. Still, Van thought there was something peaceful about a desolate battlefield after a fight, a solemn kind of atmosphere that bordered hope and loss.

Van found the boy a minute later, slumped by a huge chunk of debris. It was starting to get dark now, the day shifting to evening, and the kid has finally reached his limit. Mini Red was sleeping on his side, his body kept upright by the slab of wall he was leaning on. In the dark and his face streaked with soot, the child looked smaller than he appeared.

A voice inside him that sounded suspiciously like Sora berated him for taking out his frustration earlier on a kid. He ignored the voice – he is not going to grow a conscience that sounds like Sora thank you very much.

Van scooped him up in his arms, and resorted to find Edna.

He thinks of Sora as he looks upon Mini Red’s sleeping figure in his arms. “Stop trying to be a fucking hero. Stop trying to be what you’re not. Stop chasing this impossible standard and ideals you’ve set out for yourself. You are your own person, whoever the fuck that is you decide to be. Your brother and sister will still fucking love you either way.”

He knows the boy won’t hear him, but he whispers these words in the boy’s ears anyways, half convincing himself that he isn’t saying the words to himself as well.

~

Dash walked from tent to tent, helping to bring injured civilians medical attention to the present medical volunteers on site. The initial fatality count had stopped increasing after the battle ended, but the number of the reported injured continued to rise. None of the injuries were life-threatening, but they were gruesome in its own way – the scene of a clustered tent filled with the smell of antiseptic and sight of bloodied bandages wasn’t something Dash looked forward to looking at.

But this was part of being a superhero, too: being present for the battle’s aftermath. Violet had taken his place in front of the media and delegating the response teams earlier, which left Dash to help with the relief efforts.

It’s a minor sort of relief that he didn’t see Jack-jack running around anymore – Violet would _definitely_ disapprove of their younger brother being here – until he noticed that Sora wasn’t running beside him.

Dash turned on his heel and exited the current tent he was in, and made his way outside to look for the brunet. Things outside have calmed down for the most part; the city’s fire department was swiftly putting out the fires from the destruction, and with most of the injured accounted for, the air of manic urgency that had been palpable earlier had all but dissipated, only to be replaced with a sort of tired energy around him.

“ _Cura!_ ”

Dash turned to his right and saw one of the tents glow a faint green color, a clear indication where Sora was. The speedster found himself pushing the tent flap open to step inside, and to be met with the sight of the civilians involved in the incident who were caught too close to the line of fire.

Rows of beds filled with civilians in bloodied bandages lined the tent, most of them asleep. IV drips were stationed beside each bed, and the volunteers and nurses were scuttling around briskly, movements swift and focused, attentively aiding to the patients as much as they can.

Towards the rear of the tent, Dash caught sight of Sora, his Keyblade drawn to his side as he stood beside a bed, perhaps containing one of the patients.

Dash walked slowly towards them, Sora standing with his back to him, as he talked to the patient on the bed, who, as Dash managed to draw closer, he noticed was mostly wrapped in sullied bandages, and the areas of his skin where there were none were black –

Burn. It was a terrible burn.

“Hello,” Dash heard Sora greet the patient softly.

“...Hello,” the patient croaked back.

“I’m here to help you.”

“...Okay.”

“This’ll only take a minute, okay? Just...relax. You’ll be as good as new in no time!”

Dash watched Sora raise his Keyblade as he cast _Cure_ over the patient. The mangled body on the bed glowed a dull color of green before it faded, as the patient on the bed groaned.

“Sorry! Did that hurt? I’m sorry!” Sora’s voice took on a slight panicked tone which caught Dash’s attention. This was the first time he’s heard Sora sound so distressed.

“...Still hurts. But...it hurts...less now.”

“Oh. Oh. Okay. I guess a stronger one would be better for the pain huh? Don’t worry, I got this.”

Sora cast a _Cura_ with his Keyblade, as another brighter green glow took over the body. The patient let out a huge exhale of breath, before he closed his eyes.

“Does it still hurt?”

“...Yes. But a lot less now...thank you...uh, I don’t know your name.”

“It’s Sora.”

“Thank you...Sora. You’re a...big help. I’m Tadashi...Hamada.”

Dash heard Sora chuckle softly. “Thanks Tadashi. I wish I could do more though. You’re...healing really slowly.”

“You do enough...as you do,” the patient answered him, “is that...your superpower? Healing abilities?”

“You could say that,” Sora answered. Dash could even hear the slight smile in his voice.

“It’s a...great power. Not like the ones...you usually see on TV.”

“Someone once taught me that being a hero was more than just fighting with your fists. A hero fights with his heart too. I just...I just want to help.”

“I...feel the same...there’s this thing I’m...working on...that could...really help people...”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah...a nurse robot...”

“Hmm. What’s it called?”

“...Baymax...me and my...younger brother...we’re working on it...together...”

“That sounds awesome Tadashi! That really...sounds awesome.”

“Thank you...” Tadashi’s expression slacked a bit, his eyes growing a little more unfocused. His lips thinned in to a thin line, which Dash could read as pain. It seemed that Sora picked up on it as well, as he raised his Keyblade again and cast _Curaga_ this time.

Tadashi’s expression did not change. If anything, his body seemed to lock with unknown tension before falling slack against his bed. Sora cast another _Curaga_ , his voice a little shaky.

Upon walking closer, Dash could finally see Tadashi a little better, and found out why Sora sounded a little desperate earlier; it’s not that the patient was healing slowly, he wasn’t healing _at all_. The skin that should have reverted to unblemished flesh the way _Cure_ worked did nothing on the burns – if anything, it’s like Sora’s magic didn’t even do anything other than relieve the pain.

Sora cast another _Cura_ at the patient, his voice a little strained.

“It’s gonna be okay Tadashi. You’re doing fine!” Dash doesn’t miss the hint of mild hysteria in Sora’s voice this time.

“Hmm...yes...it doesn’t...even hurt...anymore...thank you...but I think...I’m going to sleep...for a while now...” Tadashi wheezed.

The Keyblade warrior does not respond right away.

“...Oh.” Sora’s voice was small, and cracked at the end.

 _Oh_. Dash realized sadly.

“My brother...will probably...call me a lazy bum...haha...I wonder...how they’ll do...without me...”

Dash saw Sora’s shoulders hunch. “...Hiro will do okay on his own. Baymax too. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you when you wake up.”

“You know...my brother...?”

“...I do. I remember him. We’re...friends.”

“I see...well...good night then...Sora...tell my brother...I love him...for me...okay...?”

“...Okay. Sweet dreams, Tadashi.”

Dash watched as Sora brought his hand to the patient’s face as he closed the man’s eyes, his shoulders set and tense.

“Sora,” Dash called to out to him, “take a break.”

The boy didn’t turn around to face him. “There’s still more people that need help. I can do more. I’m fine.”

“You’re dead on your feet. You’ve been casting _Cure_ all over the place for who knows how goddamn long. You’re done. Take a break, Sora.”

“I can still help!”

“No. Not like this. I will not have you play hero to the point you’ll put yourself in one of the beds for the incapacitated. Take a break, Sora!”

“No! I can still help, okay? I just...need a little drink and something to eat. I’m fine! I can keep going!” Sora turned around to face him, his face streaked with dirt on his right cheek and his eyes looking watery. He looked pale and exhausted, and looked just about to drop. Dash cursed himself for not finding Sora earlier.

“You’re not helping anyone by running yourself to the ground like this. I know you’re this grand, kind person, Sora, but I’d honestly be glad for you to be a little smarter and more selfish. You deserve to cut yourself some slack – you literally faced a horde of Heartless for hours on end with us, and then used your magic extensively afterwards. I can’t let you continue like this with how little you’re taking care of yourself.

“I’m glad you’re being a hero. But I won’t have you be a martyr.”

Sora stared at him for a long moment before dismissing his Keyblade, turning his gaze to the ground.

“Why? I just...I just wanna do more...”

“I like how altruistic you are. It’s a good trait for a superhero. But that mindset isn’t realistic. Not in the real world. You have to save a little bit of that concern for yourself.”

Dash closed the distance between them and put his hands on Sora’s shoulders. The brunet looked up to him with tired, tear-stained eyes, and Dash sighed.

“Sometimes, being a hero means being a hero to yourself. Save yourself, Sora. Leave the rest to us, and take a long rest.”

~

“Honestly dah-ling, taking your frustrations out on a kid?”

“Like you’re any better? That was fucking cruel, what you did.”

“Whatever do you mean, dah-ling?”

“Taking the fucking kid to a place like this? I mean, come on.”

“He wanted to come, and so I took him. He’s always wanted to be a superhero so bad, and he had his suit and mask, so I didn’t see anything wrong in letting him get a bit of exposure.”

“In this fucking disaster? Dash is going to look for you after this.”

“Let him come and air his grievances then. But I did it for them.”

“You traumatized a kid by sending him to a disaster zone and sent his older brother into a fit of seething mad-worry.”

“Jack-jack, with all his powers and with the right upbringing, can be a fantastic superhero. There’s no doubt about that. But being so young and blessed with his numerous powers, and growing up in a family of supers, he has it in his head that he’s automatically a superhero by default. But he is just a child, and a child has no business playing the part of a superhero. This is lesson for him: no matter how powerful or influential his family is, he is not a hero, not yet, and he has much more room to grow. We can do all we can to protect children, but there are aspects of life and reality we cannot shield them from.

“And,” Edna paused at her last point before continuing, “I suppose it’s a selfishness, that this will dissuade him from pursuing heroics at his age. He can be a super when he’s older. But right now, he deserves to be child. The world’s burdens are not something a mere child has to bear.”

“He’d bear it someday anyway.”

“Just like you and Sora?” Edna didn’t even look in his direction. “Were you warriors first, before children? Did you know destruction more intimately rather than comfort? Don’t answer that, the answer’s obvious. Fate hasn’t been kind to you, I can see. But you’ve grown from it as well, and your hardships have tempered you into being strong people. Stronger than most. Perhaps one must be cruel in order to be kind.”

Van thinks of how he’s followed Ventus around all those years ago; how he fought against him and his friends, forged the x-blade temporarily, and became one of the thirteen vessels for Xehanort. He thinks of how he chose it all, to be darkness, to be the villain, to be the bad guy, if it meant it would be the closest he could be with Ventus. He thinks that by choosing to stray apart from him, he’s given time for Ventus to be made whole without him, and that by choosing to stand against him, he has chosen their victory over Xehanort, loathe he was to admit it then.

He had been cruel and merciless, and needlessly vicious towards Ventus and his friends. Even towards Sora, at the time. And yet, by doing so, it had been the kindest thing he’s done for them and himself, helping them get better at fighting the darkness so they could win in the end.

He looks at Mini Red’s sleeping face, wiped clean of grime and changed into clean civilian clothes in Edna’s tent. Beside the runt, Sora laid asleep as well, exhausted from the day’s events. He looks at Edna as she caressed Mini Red’s hair gently, lovingly.

He then thought of how he and Sora have gone from enemies to friends to some semblance of being brothers, and thought how Sora’s kindness, his fondness, his willingness to open up to him in order to draw Vanitas out of all the goddamn walls he put up, is a cruel thing as well, knowing now that Sora has his ‘heart’, Vanitas would do most anything to watch Sora’s back if it meant being together.

 

_"What are you doing," Vanitas voice croaked, "what are you...why are you holding on to me like this?"_

_"Like I said, I have a few things to say to you," Sora repeated, keeping his voice level and calm, "I can't exactly say anything to you if you disappear."_

_"You're trying to keep me here," Vanitas realized. "That's dangerous, Sora. You fell to the darkness once already. Just say what you want and let me go."_

_"Is that concern for me?" Sora teased, letting out a soft chuckle, eyes still closed, "I won't fall. Not again. Not like this. Not if you keep me here too. You said we're connected right? You're the dark part of my heart or something. We'll keep each other here. Light and darkness, both in balance."_

_"You'd ask that of me?" Vanitas asked. "What could you possibly say that would make me want to linger here?"_

_"I want you to stay," Sora answered, "I have a few things-"_

_"-to say to me, or so you keep repeating," Vanitas sighed, "Just tell 'em to me. Whatever it is."_

_"I never said I'd say it now," Sora replied._

_"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Vanitas asked._

_Sora opened his eyes and turned to look at Vanitas, only to find the other boy was staring at him already, his gold eyes standing catching the moonlight. In limited light, just like this, Vanitas looked so much like Sora, apart from the eyes. It was easy to see what Vanitas really was - he wasn't just some dark entity torn from someone else._

_He was a boy just like him. A real, actual person with his own heart._

_Sora smiled._

_"Guess you'll just have to stay close to me to find out."_

 

It’s cruel, Vanitas thought to himself, how someone can hold you so effortlessly in their hands and have the power to break you whenever they so choose, and he chose Sora to be that for him. How Sora’s kindness is a form of cruelty that could smite Vanitas to the ground, and that he’d even welcome it, because Light, it’s _Sora._

It’s strange, how cruelty and kindness are two sides of the same coin, how sometimes you need to bleed before you can heal. It’s strange, to realize that his cruelty could be kind.

Vanitas thought Sora cruel for anchoring him, and he perceived his aligning with Xehanort as the kindest thing he’s done for his brothers – Sora and Ventus – the one choice he’s made in his life at the time to ensure their survival in the war.

“I’ve only known how to be cruel so far. I suppose I’m still new to it, learning that I could be kind.” Vanitas whispered mostly to himself. Edna merely smiled to herself, before Van shuffled over to the space beside Sora, and watched his brother sleep.

~

Sora woke up back in the Parr residence’s guest room. The bed beside his was made up, but the rucked up pillows by the head of the bed indicated that someone had used the bed prior. He got out of bed and slipped out, trying to find anyone in the house.

He found Van, Dash, and Violet in the dining room, over a feast of waffles, salad, and bacon and eggs served on the table.

“Hey Sora! Nice to see you’re up,” Dash smiled at him, but it was a tired expression, the previous day’s stress still hanging on him. Sora picked up on the look of concern Dash sent him, but Sora merely smiled to silently tell him he’s fine.

Vanitas ticked his head to the chair beside him, to which Sora took before serving himself breakfast.

“I really could use a heavy breakfast,” Sora mumbled sleepily.

“More like lunch, we all slept the morning away. Me and Dash got back late last night, but you and Vanitas have been here earlier, both of you knocked out in the guest room. Apparently, you’ve been out since yesterday evening after casting that healing power you did over the injured, and Vanitas carried you back here,” Violet told him.

Sora felt like he should feel embarrassed by the fact that Vanitas had carried him home last night, but remembering how exhausted he’d been from casting Cure on all the injured yesterday made him feel grateful for Van’s efforts. He tossed Van a grateful smile, to which Van rolled his eyes at him, opting to drink his mug of coffee.

“What about Jack-jack?” Sora asked.

Violet threw him a confused look. “So you’ve met our brother? What about him?”

Dash threw Sora a warning look. Ah. So she didn’t know Jack-jack was at the disaster zone yesterday. “He’s still at Auntie’s place. I saw him and managed to talk to Aunt Edna about keeping JJ out of things for a while. I don’t think I need to say this, but yesterday was…”

“One huge clusterfuck,” Van completed, “a disaster of fucking epic proportions, the beginning of the end.”

Dash threw him a small piece of bacon, which Vanitas expertly catches in his teeth. Sora tried not look impressed.

“So, what now?” Sora asked the room at large.

“It’s a given that this isn’t a one-time thing,” Van replied, his voice immediately serious, “we may have taken out most of the Heartless, but that last one – the big deathball thing with four legs and laserbeams – managed to escape us. It’ll be back. We need to be prepared for it when it does return.”

“What about the small creatures? The ones you called Shadow Heartless?” Violet asked.

“They’ll probably pop up once in a while, though not in the same magnitude as yesterday. We can handle them as we do. It’s the next time the Heartless Boss returns we should worry about,” Sora answered. “So is the city okay?”

“All things considered, yes, just that news stations from all over are in Metroville at the moment. There’s tons of damage and casualties in the central business district, but that’s it, the damage is contained there. Other than that, most of Metroville is fine. The destruction was fatal in the CBD, but thankfully, none of the other places in the city are harmed,” Violet told them.

“So that means…?”

“Today, we’re resting. School got suspended anyway, due to how the incident affected the city. Tomorrow…we go back to school.”

“Are you kidding me?” Sora asked disbelievingly.

“No,” Dash sighed, “as far as anyone’s concerned, we don’t have reason to be affected by this. You don’t have family in the city, and a few people in school know I don’t have family working in the business district.”

“But…!”

“Sora,” Violet interjected, her voice firm but gentle, “I get it. We get it. It’s a shock, to be a first-hand witness of what happened yesterday. We’re not asking you to forget about what happened yesterday, or to pretend that what we saw and heard and experienced didn’t affect us. Because it did, okay? That’s not something even heroes like us can just distance ourselves from so easily. But we can’t let this situation overwhelm us either. We need to get a sense of normalcy back into our lives, if only to protect ourselves from spiralling into guilt and despair. We need to be strong, not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us who is looking for strength in these trying times. Can you do that, Sora?”

Sora took a steadying breath. He remembers scattered bits of memories. Riku facing a horde of Heartless on his own. Donald collapsing after casting a _Zetta Flare_. Kairi shattering into a million shards after Xehanort takes his Keyblade down on her.

Telling his friends he’d save Kairi, and even without the exact memory of the act, remembering that was how he ended.

He even remembers recent close calls from recent, like the way he worried when Halcyon looked for Henry without them, and Tadashi Hamada, the man

It’s a poignant realization, to remember so much familiarity with death around him, and being able to look at it in such a detached manner. Sora thinks maybe the memory is so newly returned it hasn’t really sunk in yet. But part of him also thinks that he may have forgotten the memories of the events, but he’s remembered the person he was. Just like that stormy day in Clawtooth Mountain when he decided to help Arlo, he knows he can be this strong too.

He’s not giving in to despair so easily – he’s come this far, with memory and none, and he’s not going to crumble on himself like he may have before. He’ll allow himself his weaknesses, but he’s not giving up. He’s only growing stronger in all the aspects that a person can become, and from this point, he going to continue to do so.

“Okay,” Sora gave the siblings a determined look, “we’re superheroes, and we’re not giving up!”

Dash and Violet replied with their own set smiles. From beside him, Van snorted, already stuffing his mouth silly with another stack of waffles.

“Nice pep talk. Now can we all shut up and eat? I wanna pass out again after this, I’m still fucking exhausted.”

Laughter followed Van’s obnoxious remarks, and Sora figured, if they are still capable of laughter even after all that’s happened yesterday, maybe they’re going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That was a lot.
> 
> First of all: the game setting.
> 
> I always planned Metroville to be a "challenge world" of sorts - filled with mini-games and battle gimmicks that I feel would keep a player engaged after the "dreary and slow" worlds that came before it, while still having those gimmicks be relevant to gameplay, if not story progression.
> 
> The automatic "Critical level" Boss Fight was a nice challenge too, if not maybe annoying for a gamer's stand. Still, I imagine if I was playing it I'd be grinding the mini-games and challenge nodes to raise my player's level just to be semi-competent, and still be losing at it. Lol. The next few worlds I have planned will be *quite* tricky to get through if not at a decent level, so I felt that gimmick was necessary to at least get the players to raise their level for the future world's gimmicks. You're just gonna have to find out what those gimmicks are. :D
> 
> Sora and Vanitas in a high school setting is basically like the cliche school anime trope anyone couldn't help watch. Honestly, so many references were made - I better be hearing from you listing the ones you can pick up from this chapter lol.
> 
> And then from high school comedy to straight up action gruffness - I'm surprised I actually managed this.
> 
> I'll admit, I tried to go a little bit more serious for this arc, since KH3 did the same with their Pirates of the Carribean world. Also, I wanted to infuse the same kind of action-kind of feel that Marvel inspired in me? But I honestly don't think I managed that too well. Writing this was challenging, because there were several personal themes discussed in the latter half that directly influenced Sora, Van, and Jack-jack.
> 
> I'm surprised that out of all the people I could draw a parallel to Jack-jack, it was Vanitas, since I planned it originally to be Sora. But then Van goes on the whole tangent of hate-loving Ventus and living in his shadow, and I realize that I was writing something that was based on my own experience, and that same situation may have applied to JJ, who was growing in a superhero family. Ugh, insecurity and inferiority complexes at a young age are such a struggle to write since I suffered from it too lol.
> 
> The whole Sora and Tadashi scene was a challenge to write as well. I didn't know how emotional to write it, so having it done in Dash's POV for a more detached but still sad view was a nice touch, I'd think. (Also, I laugh-cried at the fact that out of all the Disney characters I could use for reference in Sora's "unable to save someone" scene was Tadashi, who died of burns. The name of the guy was decided last, and when I decided on Tadashi, oh god, it was just cruel.)
> 
> This chapter marks the shift in Sora and Van's character traits - how the altruistic-hero Sora is blatantly told to be selfish, and how the perceived-evil Vanitas discovers he could be kind towards other people, even if he is very gruff about it.
> 
> The ending was left open-ended; obviously, we all know Sora ain't alright after ALL THAT despite his cheeriness, so. Guess you're just gonna have to wait how that goes in the next chapter. Haha! With all that said, Dash feels so much jaded and older than what a teenager probably should be, and I feel he is about 647% DONE with all the emotional and physical roller coaster ride that is dealing with Keyblade Wielders lol
> 
> Anyways, tell me what you guys thought about the chapter, and what you think is going to happen next. :D

**Author's Note:**

> So let’s discuss the prologue:
> 
> The first scene involves Roxas, Naminé, and Riku. These three characters are interesting, not only because they each have a unique relationship with Sora, but how they each had a unique relationship with each other. Roxas and Riku are essentially unresolved enemies turned allies; Naminé and Roxas became somewhat friends over the course of the KH2 prologue and ending, and Riku and Naminé have always been friendly and concerned for each other, even back when they both worked for DiZ (Ansem the Wise). Their interactions are something I wanted to explore, as their dynamic seems promising, especially if we’re following the narrative that they’re all friends now.
> 
> As for the TWEWY part, I’ve never played the game, so I only put together what limited in-game dialogue I could find online, as well incorporate Sora and Neku and the gang’s previous encounters in KH3D. I kept the TWEWY part short, and in the prologue as well instead of a whole chapter, because the story’s focus wasn’t how Sora cleared the Reaper’s Game, but what comes after it – the consequences and price he has to pay.
> 
> The fact that I wrote Joshua to be some key player to the bigger plot was also intentional – I realized most of the Disney characters and worlds in KH3 didn’t really contribute major plot points to the main story line (like the Princesses of Heart, or Maleficent did in KH1 and 2) and there were no other appearances from Final Fantasy characters at all! I wanted to make the Disney and FF characters relevant to the plot, so I basically wrote Joshua in a way that implied he knew more than what he revealed.
> 
> I have so many plans on how to write Sora – hope I do him justice.
> 
> As for Vanitas, can you guys guess who revived him? I suppose it’s easy to guess. Haha.
> 
> Can anybody guess what worlds will appear in this fic (other than the two in the synopsis)? Bonus points to you if you can guess the world Sora and Vanitas find themselves in on the next chapter. XD
> 
> Anyways, leave a comment below and let’s talk!


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